The Mr Arrogants
by Scribbleness
Summary: Squall Leonhart and Cloud Strife have always hated each other's guts, ever since they set eyes on one another. That's what the new student Rinoa Heartily has to deal with, especially now that she was caught in the middle of their deep rivalry.
1. It gets better

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, VII, X and VI. **

**Author's note:** This story just popped into my head, while thinking how Square has done so great with character designs, especially when they came up with Cloud and Squall. I thought that they're pretty much equal with everything. Of course, they have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they stand on the same level. That's what I think of them anyway. So I thought, why not make them rivals in a story instead? I hope this will work out well in the end, but most of all, I hope you would enjoy reading my work. :3

Also, the first chapters of the story are more focused on character introductions and development of relationships. No Squinoa until chapter 4, though I suggest you still read the first chapters so you can keep yourselves on track with the plot. ;)

Please review. Thanks!

* * *

The alley was empty, with only the rustling sound of papers filling the already drowning air. The sun has hidden itself behind the clouds to give them way and the perfect signal. People who were passing by coincidentally stopped appearing, as if fate has stopped them from coming.

The empty alley was perfectly reserved for them. They picked the perfect place and the perfect time for the perfect enemy with the perfect reason; settling business.

Nobody was first to appear, they both arrived at the exact same hour, same minute, same second.

The taller one with brunette hair and recognizable scar crossed between his eyes came from the front side of the cursed place. He walked slowly and calmly with his hands inside his pockets, wearing a smirk that wasn't usually there. Cooly, he walked towards the middle, while the others he brought with him followed. His whole gang came with him like they always have everytime an event like this ensues. It strangely constituted of two girls and three boys, but they are never to be underestimated.

The other one, with his signature blonde, spiky hair came from the other side. Unlike his enemy, he wore a plain, expressionless look on his face, even when his eyes were concealed by his black shades. He walked as slowly and relaxed as the other one towards his meeting point with the brunette. He has also brought his own army, which was fairly as equal as with his enemy; two girls and three guys.

The blonde one was the first to speak. "You know why we're here, Leonhart." Of course he does, the idiot that sits next to him grabbed one girl from the yellow head's class, in which she overreacted with by not coming to class for the next three days. Today was the third day, and the final straw in Cloud's countdown.

Squall shrugged. "She had it coming. At least that's what he said."

"Yeah?" Cloud replied. "Did he also see my fist coming to his face that lunch break?"

"Tch." Squall let out a grin. "If it wasn't for her skimpy skirt anyway, he wouldn't do it."

"Then again, he did it." Cloud stated, with conclusiveness in his voice.

There was a long pause, with nothing but deafening silence between the two hostile parties. Of course, everyone knew Cloud was right. He did it, he grabbed the girl in the end and that was exactly why they're here. They are to defend each other's classmate by settling who's right with their fists. That was their main reason anyway, but it was really just their perfect excuse to settle with their deep rivalry. Squall and Cloud have despised each other's guts ever since they stepped into Deling High. Competitiveness has always gotten the better of them, never admitting that they are on the same level in everything. They always resolve in fighting, which they were both good at as well. Both were too proud to say he's wrong, and both were too arrogant to initiate a fight. They find their only excuse through the simplest of things such as this. But no matter how many fights they've gone through, the upper hand was yet to be declared.

"Just admit it!" The petite girl with short, black hair from Cloud's gang shouted. "Your class has done it again because of that maniac friend of yours!"

"No way! It's your fault! You should start telling your slut friend to wear a real skirt and proper panties!" The red haired girl from Squall's gang blurted in reply.

"Luckily I wasn't him. Wouldn't help it myself, I might have done her." The tallest one from Squall's group with short blonde hair said.

"Easy now Seifer, you're provoking them even more." The girl with long blonde hair with a tint of red color beside Seifer voiced in smartly.

"No need, you've done enough. Long before you know it." The girl with long black hair and distinguishable large chest from the other group said with a hint of deep hatred in her voice.

"Boy oh boy. You guys just wouldn't give it up." Cloud's best friend with black, spiky hair followed, as if enjoying this moment.

"We can argue through this our way, if you know what I mean." Said with suavity by another of Squall's tall friends with a long, brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"And end up getting our way." Smirked Cloud's red-haired (and literally RED in color) friend who seemed to be having even more fun than the black haired guy. The tall, bald one standing beside him grimaced and nodded in agreement.

"Ha! We'll see about that!" Another spiky head in Squall's gang with tattoo on his face shouted while punching the air.

While they let their friends argue, Squall and Cloud have never stopped glaring at each other's eyes, planting obvious detestation to each other's souls. They have gone through this same thing several times for years, but the feeling of loathing has not been completely gone, not a single percent of it.

"Well Cloud..." Squall started.

"Looks like we can never agree on anything..." Cloud continued as he removed his shades and threw them away, revealing his piercing sky blue eyes.

"Fuck it! Let's settle this!" The tattoo-faced declared and began to charge towards his enemy.

"Ha!" The red-haired yelled and began to charge from the other side.

Cloud and Squall let all their allies assault each other, until none was left out. Then, the two mortal rivals fought.

* * *

Leaving a place she called home has never been an easy task for Rinoa Heartily. But moving to her dad's place because her mom passed away has only made this particular moment of her life even more difficult to bear with. She loves her mom most dearly, she has been her only family for thirteen years. She loves her dad too... well, she isn't exactly sure about that. Yes, he never forgot to give her and her mom everything they need, they were well supported. Nevertheless, he was never present, and he will always be a stranger to her. In fact, she hasn't seen her dad ever since her mom left him when she was four years old and went to the peaceful town of Winhill with her.

But she's gone, and she'll be under the care of no one if she stays. The only person she can live with right now is her father who lives in Deling City.

She doesn't know much about her father, except that he held some decent position in the Deling government. And it was only natural that she wasn't surprised when she found out that she will be staying at her father's huge mansion the moment she arrived.

Butlers and maids in uniforms were lined up to greet the limousine that brought Rinoa to her new home. She was overwhelmed, of course, with the grand welcome she received from people. But sadness was quickly realized when she found out that her father is not present as she searched through; their master doesn't seem to be here. She asked one of the maids who remained smiling and replied "Master Caraway is out for a business trip Ma'am. He wishes to apologize for not being here tonight."

"Please, call me Rinoa." She replied, embarrassed with the new title she acquired in this gloomy house.

"Yes Ma'am."

In her room, she could only do nothing but think. She wished to unpack the luggages herself, but the maids insisted that they do it instead. Her room was as large as her house back in Winhill, and this has only made her even lonelier. Such a big room for one person. She has always felt more comfortable in smaller rooms, she thought they felt warmer.

Everything in this room was extravagant too, from wallpaers, to furnitures, curtains and doors, as if a royalty occupies it. Her marbled bathroom is filled with floral aroma which relaxes her. She has always liked flowers, they always make her happy, and they remind her of the happiest days she had back in Winhill.

By the large window, she stood up and watched the overlooking city of Deling that shone beautifully in the night. _This will take some getting used to_, she thought. Being the country girl she was, living in the city was completely new to her. She has, of course, gone to some commercial places such as Esthar and Balamb, but this one was completely different from all others. There's a touch of class in this place that demands at least some sophistication from its residents. This thought made Rinoa a bit uncomfortable. Being sophisticated was not something she grew up with. Back in Winhill, she could do anything, and she meant ANYTHING. She can scream, jump, move around as much as she likes. Here dwells a stiff air that felt as if strangling her to act like a real lady. What makes it worse is the fact that her father seems to be one of the well-known rich people around here. But no backing out now, she doesn't have a choice anyway. She has to push through.

"Yeah, this will take some getting used to." She giggled to herself.

* * *

Rinoa's first day at Deling High School went, well, how it usually goes for first days. Nobody talked to her except the personnels that she asked regarding the location of her classroom. Unlike the school she had back in Winhill, everyone here had to wear uniforms. Guys wore white button-up shirts with short sleeves and black long pants, while girls wear white blouses with navy blue ribbons matched with the same colored knee-high skirts. She also noticed how she stays with one same class for the rest of the year, as was indicated in her class schedules.

After some searching, she finally found her classroom, which section is apparently called '3-B'. As usual, everyone was standing, chatting with their friends, filling the room with much noise, completely ignoring the newcomer. Classes start at 9:00, and it's only 8:45. No wonder they were taking their time slacking off. Shyly, Rinoa walked through the side of the room and took a sit somewhere near the back. As soon as she sat though, someone has already greeted her arrival.

"You must be the new student." A soft female voice called out to her.

She turned to the friendly person that sits next to her. She has a short brown hair with a dangling blue beads on the left side of her face that flowed with her hair. Her eyes were noticeably strange, because her one eye is blue, while the other is colored green. "Hello!" She beamed at Rinoa with a smile.

"Hi." Rinoa smiled back.

"I'm Yuna by the way." said her new friend.

"Rinoa." Rinoa nodded and gave her a wider smile.

"Where are you from?"

"Winhill. But my mom died and nobody will take care of me, so I moved here with my dad." Rinoa elaborated with no mournfulness, to her surprise.

"Oh... I'm so sorry..." Yuna apologized, who sounded even more saddened than Rinoa was.

"That's okay."

"How do you find this school so far?" Yuna quickly attempted to change the subject.

"Well, it seems different from where I came from, but pretty interesting." Rinoa admitted. She actually enjoyed talking to Yuna, her first friend. For the first time in a while, she felt comfortable in someone else's company.

Yuna let out a giggle at Rinoa's reply. "Well, it gets better."

Right after she said that, the whole room fell silent. At first, Rinoa though their teacher has already arrived, but everyone was not facing the front, they're all staring at the back of the classroom, including Yuna. Rinoa turned to what they were all looking at and saw a guy with spiky blonde hair with black shades entered their classroom. He, whoever he was, did not even glance at everyone and walked straight to his chair at the far back corner of the room, opposite to Rinoa's side. He was followed by another guy with as much spiky black hair, beaming at everyone as he passed by. He took a seat right next to the blonde one.

Rinoa knew instantly that Yuna's "it gets better" meant having something to do about those two. She turned to her friend and asked, "Why?"

"You'll see." Yuna winked.


	2. Rivalry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, VII, X and VI.**

**Hope you guys will enjoy this one. :3  
**

* * *

Naturally, at lunch break, Rinoa asked Yuna to fill her up about many things, from school policies, to the education system and most importantly, what happened at their class that morning.

Yuna replied with a soft laugh. "Take it easy, Rinoa. One question at a time please!"

She explained how they will be classmates in all their subjects for the rest of their lives in this school, except with the elective subjects every semester where they get to choose one course they wanted to take.

"What did you take? Mine's Visual Arts." Yuna excitedly told Rinoa.

"Oh, mine's Psychology." Rinoa, who wasn't exactly good with arts, suddenly felt regret for taking that class instead of Arts so she could stay with Yuna at all times, at least for this semester. She felt like she needs alot of time to adjust with her new life around here, and it seemed pretty impossible now without Yuna, who instantly detected sadness in Rinoa's voice. She gave Rinoa a comforting rub at the back. "It's gonna be fine! Electives happen only a few times a week. You'll be alright."

She also found out that everyone was entitled to follow dress codes, school regulations and all, though not everyone followed it. Most personnels just let them pass, though there were some, especially when terribly messed with, implement some punishments which often involved working for the school under a certain number of hours. Rinoa reckoned that Yuna was definitely not one of those people, judging by how she especially follows the dress code for girls: perfect skirt length, blouse completely buttoned up, and for the main part which most girls don't exactly follow, she wore the ribbon, tied around her collar.

Rinoa didn't feel like eating that lunch break. She wasn't exactly hungry. As a matter of fact, her stomach was filled with butterflies. For some reason, everyone else around her (except Yuna) intimidated her, for the most part that no one else welcomed her. Well, except for her Homeroom professor who did not even introduce her to the class, rather talked to her in private after the lessons. Rinoa simply accepted this as his more "formal" way to greet newcomers. She tried to convince herself that she'll eventually get used to this new school, no matter how everything was practically giving her a major 'culture shock'.

She was sitting at the table they picked, playing with her mashed potato, while waiting for Yuna who let Rinoa buy her lunch first. _She was kind of taking long_, Rinoa thought. Sitting alone at their table made her very uncomfortable when every table around her were filled with five people at the very least. She looked up and searched among the crowd for Yuna and saw her finally holding a tray with foods, though not approaching her table she shares with Rinoa. Instead, she seemed to be in deep conversation with another two girls. Yuna then turned around to Rinoa's direction, while the other two followed. Rinoa noticed how the shorter one with dirty blonde hair, tied up in a messy but fashionable way, waved cheerfully at her, while the taller one with gray hair gelled upwards simply took a quick glance at her. She figured that they may be Yuna's friends, and was half hoping they'll join in. To Rinoa's delight, they seem like they will.

Yuna put her tray down and raised her hand, as if showing something to Rinoa. "By the way, I forgot to tell you, I have some people I hang out with alot. This is my cousin Rikku," she pointed at the blonde one, "and this is our friend Paine." then to the taller one.

"Nice to meet you!" Rikku excitedly said and instantly sat down next to Rinoa. She responded with a light laugh. "It's very nice to meet you too."

"Pleasure." Paine nodded who also sat down. Rinoa, sensing coldness in her face could only smile and nod at her. Yuna sat down beside Paine and clamped her hands across the table, as if discussing something intently with Rinoa.

"Now, ask us away. What else do you want to know?"

Rinoa stopped playing with her mashed potato and finally dropped her spoon. "Well, I've been meaning to ask about that incident this morning at our room. Who was that guy with spiky blonde hair?" Rinoa asked with much curiosity, even waving her hands above her head to emphasize the spiky part. She forgot though that she wasn't talking to just Yuna, two other people were watching her. This caused Rikku to laugh.

"Yeah, his head is so spiky it can be lethal to anyone who gets near him." Rikku mimicked the gesture Rinoa made. This made her laugh with Rikku.

"Well, that was Cloud Strife." Yuna said after giggling with them. She then turned to Paine. "Is he here?"

"No, the other one's here." Paine stoically answered while looking past her friends. The other one?, Rinoa asked herself.

"Anyway, I guess you can just get a good look at him later when we get back. You see, Cloud Strife is pretty much the most respected person in our section. He's kind of our class leader."

"But, don't we have a class representative?" Rinoa questioned as she remembered some guy with flat brown hair and glasses was called "the class president" by most teachers.

"Class presidents are just for classes, dealing with class order and all..." Rikku replied for Yuna.

"Cloud is a different kind of leader. He's like the 'real' leader when it comes to dealing problems with the other section, which most people find more important than school."

The "other section part" confused Rinoa. "Problems with the other section?"

"Well..." Yuna never wanted to talk about it, but she knew it's one of the first things Rinoa should be aware about in this school, or their section for that matter. "...you see, we're rivals with the other section, 3-A. Whenever there are school competitions, we would always try to beat them, while they do the same. It doesn't matter if we get 3rd place, as long as they get 4th." Rinoa was surprised about what she got herself into with that section, and even Yuna felt sorry about it. "The sad part is, no one has ever dared to make friends with the other section. Even if they tried to, they'll end up overwhelmed with the existing competition and hate each other.

"That's where Cloud comes in. When problem arises with 3-A, he'll go and settle it with their leader."

"They have a leader too?" Rinoa's eyes widened with the more incoming complications about the two sections.

"Yeah, well, they practically started this whole rivalry thing." Rikku said.

"Who's their leader?" Rinoa asked innocently.

"Squall Leonhart." Paine plainly replied, though her deep voice scared Rinoa a bit.

Yuna turned around, as if searching for someone. Then, she faced Rinoa. "See that table at the far end? You should see a tall guy with brown hair and scar on his face." Rinoa searched and instantly found him. It wasn't hard to find him, people were trying to avoid him as if he carried some deadly virus. There was only one guy sitting with him, who seems to be as tall as he is, with long, brown, wavy hair tied in a ponytail.

"That's Squall Leonhart." Yuna pointed out. Rinoa could tell he's dangerous, with the looks of him. He always frowns, like he's always angry at something. But even Rinoa wasn't sure if that's just how he normally looks. Either way, he kind of scared her.

"Cloud and Squall have been rivals since their first year here." Paine explained. "They used to be classmates at 1-A where they excelled in almost everything. At first, they didn't seem to care, even when people around them started to compare the two. They never said anything about it and went on, though it was noticeable how they act as if the other doesn't exist. It's either they refuse to interact, or competitiveness was starting to grow, but they never showed. It was during the National Kendo Tournament when their rivalry really started." Paine paused for a while and shook her head, as if remembering how this made her disappointed. "Of course, as everyone has expected, the tournament went down on those two during the finals. It was clear from the very start how important this tournament was to both of them, and they would do anything to win. It was a draw in the end, and no matter how many tie breakers they did, it would always end up to a draw. Technically, they both won the tournament, but it was clearly not enough for them. Ever since then, the competition beween them became too obvious, trying to beat each other in everything, from basketball games, to projects, even exams. From there, they decided to settle things themselves and agreed on a fight." Paine looked down. "It was bad, I was there, they used swords in their duel. Still, in the end, even if they both ended up in the hospital to have those cuts and bleeding treated, neither of them won." Though Paine seems affected by the story, her stoic voice did not change.

There was a long pause. It went as bad as that, and they ended up almost killing each other. It isn't the typical rivalry Rinoa has encountered in movies or in her everyday life when she was a kid. It was the only time she experienced such competition, but it was just between her group of friends and some other kids who would always try and win most of the games they play. But it was long done, and she was already good friends with them. Besides, it didn't get worse than running to their mommies while crying that someone just cheated on them.

Rinoa awkwardly broke the silence among them, but she felt like she had to ask. "How did you know all about this?"

Paine looked up to her. "I used to be in 1-A." She turned away. "I thought I understood what they were going through and I tried to help them. But there's just no way getting in between them. When they fought each other, I made sure I was there. Not to watch the fight, but to aid them in case anything happens. When I saw them finally fall down to the ground, bleeding, I quickly brought them to a nearby hospital."

Rikku then continued for her. "The school knew they had to separate the two after that incident, but it also meant that the class will have to divide as well, because they began taking sides. They couldn't make the two work out, they knew they can't do anything about it."

"Thus, Section A and B." Yuna sighed.

"After that incident, I decided to transfer sections, anywhere except those two. I ended up in Section D." Paine, back to her stoic self, plainly said.

"And that's where she met me!" Rikku cheerfully pointed her thumb towards her chest.

Yuna giggled. "When I came over here at Deling from Besaid Island, I was placed at 2-B and got that same shock you're having now. Thankfully Rikku's here, who happens to be with Paine, who explained everything to me."

Rinoa too was grateful that she found Yuna as her first friend, who, with all sincerity, helped her to know everything so she won't fall too far behind. With these complications existing in her school, Rinoa surely needs to easily cope up. Though there is still something she needs to know.

"How does the settling things between sections work?" Rinoa asked.

"Well, Cloud has his own gang, Squall has his. They work like they have to fight for their own sections when problems arise between us, no matter how small it is. For example, two weeks ago was their last fight, and the reason was, someone from Squall's section practically harrassed one girl from our class. It was both their fault actually, that girl has always worn really really short skirts, so it was only expected that she will be grabbed." Yuna rolled her eyes while smiling from its absurdity.

"Section A and Section B work like packs." Paine sternly said. "Section A has Squall as the pack leader, while Section B called Cloud their 'Alpha'. Though both did not recognize themselves as those, they partake their roles seriously. However, it is debatable if they're doing it for their sections' sake, or for their rivalry."

Rinoa, who never wished for a commotion like this to exist, hoped she could understand better. This whole rivalry thing still confused her. Why did it have to exist in the first place? Couldn't they just accept that they're simply that good with most things and be proud of it? Maybe that was the problem, there was too much pride it bore stubborness. And then, came arrogance.

"Anyway," Rikku clapped her hands together that made Rinoa jumped. "now it's our turn to ask you questions!"

The rest of the lunch break was practically Rinoa's moment to tell them her whole story, about Winhill, how her mother got sick and died (which Yuna empathized with her and told Rinoa that she too lost her mom in a plane crash), and she also told them about her Dad.

"General Caraway is your father?!" Rikku shouted, surprised.

Rinoa could've sworn everyone around them froze and stared at her. She bent her head down, thanking Hyne she has long hair to hide her blushing face.

"Hey, quiet down!" Yuna hissed at Rikku, who covered her mouth with her hands. Paine slapped herself on the forehead while shaking her head and mumbled something like "Crap Rikku..."

"Oh poopie... sorry..." Rikku scratched the back of her head.

Rinoa took a glance around them and was relieved that everyone was back to the way they were. "It's fine." She smiled at Rikku.

Fifteen minutes before the lunch break ends, the four friends decided to head to their classrooms. As they went out of the cafeteria, Rinoa took another glance at the table where she saw their rival section's leader, Squall. He was bent forward, resting with his bended elbows on the table. He still had that frown on his face.

Then, he looked up at Rinoa. His expression didn't change a bit, even after their eyes met. Rinoa, who didn't know how to react, even when his deadly look scared her, kept looking in his blue, angry eyes. Squall followed her stare, only for a moment, and looked away. He figured that she belongs in Cloud's section when he saw her came in with that Besaid girl. He knew she was a newbie, he never saw her around before, though, he thought, he shouldn't care. But something about that moment amused him. Usually, when he felt someone staring at him and, at rare ocassions like this, he stares back, people from Cloud's section (or any other section for that matter) would jump, gasp and look away. In some cases with the wimpy ones, they run away, as if his stare can kill them. But this new girl, her eyes did not tell him she's scared of him, rather... well, even he can't describe in one word. As if there was sadness. As if there was sympathy. As if there was comfort. It was like how a mother would calm an angry son down who just got out to fight someone else until he becomes tranquil again. Also, this time, it was he who looked away.

Whatever. It doesn't matter to him anymore.

Unlike the newcomer and her friends, Squall waited with Irvine until the bell rang to tell him that lunch break is over. He took his bag, swung it to his back, and headed to his class.

* * *

** THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!**


	3. Psychology

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VI, VII, VIII and X.

**Author's Note:** I swear I tried to make this as interesting as possible and I just hope that you guys will like this chapter. Rinoa finally attended her Psychology class, and **guess who took it with her**... :D

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE**! thanks! :3

* * *

That afternoon after lunch break, Paine's story piqued Rinoa's interest about the two rivals, especially after taking a short glance at Cloud. He didn't wear his shades this time, and Rinoa could see his sky blue eyes, reflecting on the light emitted by the window beside him. He didn't seem to be very attentive on the lesson their teacher was discussing so lively, to think it's a hard subject too; Calculus. Rinoa, who was more focused on the lecture, couldn't take her mind off of Cloud and his mysterious nature. She can only honestly think that he interests her, particulary those eyes of his. They don't seem to be mad, unlike those of his rival's, Squall. She shuddered at the memory of that cold stare, like ice that pierced back at her. But Cloud's eyes somehow felt... different. She feels lighter about them, so is her impression of him, from being intimidating, slowly changing to approachable. That's how much his eyes can tell Rinoa.

Dismissal finally came, and Rinoa realized that he was the first one to leave the room. She looked around and found him nowhere, despite the large crowd left.

After parting ways with Yuna and Rikku, Rinoa was fetched by the same limousine that brought her home when she arrived at Deling.

"Is there anywhere else you would like to go to, Miss Caraway?" her driver asked.

"Please, call me Rinoa. And nowhere, just home. Thank you." she replied.

She arrived home, fifteen minutes later, and she's back to the boring part of her day. Her dad's not home yet, and he's been missing for five days already. Though Rinoa has always been used to his absence, which she finds sad, she still does look forward to meeting him everyday. Living at a large house feels empty for Rinoa, and she doesn't find it any different from living alone back at her hometown, Winhill. "I'm not used to living alone, after all." She sighed to herself. She still feels lonely for not having a family spend time with her, and it has been going on for a while now ever since her mother died. Often, she would find herself talking to the maids, though they hardly construct a good and long conversation because they never stopped working at her house. Her lunchbreak with Yuna, Rikku and Paine was the only time she had a real conversation with some people for quite a long, long while.

Maybe she should've told her driver to bring her to Yuna's house when he asked her if there's still any place she wished to go to. But she doesn't even know where Yuna lives, except that she came from Besaid Island. Then again, she could've just called her and-

Rinoa's little light bulb-of-idea suddenly popped out. "... call Yuna..."

She grabbed her phone and searched for Yuna's number, wishing that she doesn't mind her calling. That's what high school friends do, right? Call each other up and talk about school, friends, other people, anything... Praying that Yuna won't get mad at her, she pressed the green button and listened as the other line rings. Her heart skipped when she heard Yuna's soft voice answered "Hey Rinoa!"

"Hey!" Rinoa giggled back and felt her heart relaxed almost immediately after realizing that Yuna's actually happy that she called. Then, either from loneliness or happiness, tears began trinkling down her cheeks.

"Hey, Rinoa, are you crying?" Yuna's voice changed from happy to worried. Rinoa realized that she began sobbing.

"No, I'm doing fine, ha ha." Rinoa forced a laugh so Yuna wouldn't get too anxious for her.

"Rinoa... is everything alright? You don't sound so fine." Yuna, with growing concern in her voice, said on the other line.

"Yes, everything's alright. It's just that, I'm happy I can finally talk to someone right now."

"Oh... your dad's not home yet?"

"No..."

"Do you want me to come over?"

"Uhm..." Before replying, Rinoa took a look a her window and saw raindrops starting to pour down. She didn't want to bother Yuna anymore to run through the rain and come visit her just because she's extremely lonely. "No, no need. I'm fine."

"You know Rinoa, Rikku just got her Machina Convertible from her dad and she REALLY loves to try it right now. We can stop by and visit you there." Yuna's voice suddenly shifted to being excited. That's not a bad idea, Rinoa thought. She would really love some good company right now. But...

"That sounds really great! I would love that! But, there's something else I have to deal with. Can you hang on for just a sec?"

"Sure! Take your time!"

Rinoa went out of her room and looked for the nearest maid roaming around. She found one about to enter the room next to hers and ran to her. She's the same maid who welcomed her when she arrived, and she's distinguishable with her gentle smile she always wears.

"Excuse me, uhm..." Rinoa began to think how she would put her words such as it won't sound too troublesome. After all, this isn't exactly her home yet. "I was wondering if I can invite my friends over?"

The maid gave her a wider smile. "Yes! Why of course Ma'am! You can do anything you wish here! Inviting your friends over will be wonderful!" The maid assured her. This greatly delighted Rinoa.

"Great! Thank you so much!" She gratefully held the maid's hand and ran back to her room.

"Yuna! I'll wait for you, call me once you arrived."

"Yay! Okay! I'll see you in a minute!"

"Wait, wait! Do you know how to get here?"

"Yep! Everyone here knows where General Caraway's house is. I'm not too far, we'll be there soon!"

Twenty minutes later, Yuna finally arrived with Rikku and Paine (who tagged along, to Rinoa's surprise) and Rinoa brought them to her room.

"WOOOOW...." Rikku examined Rinoa's huge room with wide and amazed eyes.

"You're room is so beautiful!" Rinoa figured that Yuna would like her room, since she seems the girly type.

Paine, though didn't say anything, looked around Rinoa's room as well and anyone can say that she's just as impressed as her friends are.

For hours, they talked as they slowly find out about each other. Rinoa discovered that Rikku is an Al Bhed who took refuge to Deling City when her hometown was attacked. Her dad established an airship company, which has been doing pretty well. When Yuna arrived at Deling, her Uncle took her under his care. She also found out that she has a brother who practically turned into pirate, searching for lost treasures and archeological items all around the world, using his own airship.

"Strange thing is, he still lives with us! Such a loser..." Rikku commented which made all of them laugh.

Rinoa also found out that Yuna's in fact an orphan, for she lost her dad as well in an attempt to find justice to her mother's death. "Many hated the Al Bhed, that's why Rikku's home was ambushed. My dad believed someone sabotaged the plane my mom was riding on out of discrimination against the Al Bhed, since it was full of them. He tracked down possible people responsible for the crash until one day, he never came home." Yuna cheerlessly narrated. "Then, a friend of his, Auron, tried to search for him, and came home with my father's dead body." Rinoa can see how Yuna's eyes are getting wet, yet she still tried to smile it off. Rinoa was a bit shocked about the horrible death of her parents and she suddenly reflected on her father's whereabouts. He hasn't been home for a long time now, does it mean he's in trouble too? She shook the thought out and tried to think of something else to talk about to lead them off from the tragic subject.

There was a long pause, and it felt uncomfortably awkward to Rinoa. Until Rikku fortunately found a way to break it.

"Hey Yunie! How are you and that jock Tidus doing?"

Rinoa noticed how Yuna's cheeks suddenly turned really pink. "Oh... well, nothing..." She said sheepishly.

"C'mon Yunie! Everyone knows you two like each other! Everyone, except you two!" Rikku gave Yuna a light punch on her arm.

"Oh, stop it! Not everyone's too sure about that. Besides, he has not even asked me out yet..." Rinoa honestly thinks Yuna's cheeks turned even more red.

"That's because he's too shy to make the move." Paine gave a small smirk.

"Who's Tidus?" Rinoa pumped in.

"Yunie's boyfriend!" Rikku taunted.

"No!" Yuna protested.

"Not yet." Paine butted in.

Rikku explained to Rinoa that Tidus is their school's star blitzball player, the reason why Deling High always wins interschool competitions of that sport. He is also the son of the famous sports star Jecht, and that he likes Yuna.

"Oooh, now I know why Paine said 'Not yet.'" Rinoa winked at Paine, who gave her a wider smirk.

After hours of hanging out in Rinoa's room, they finally decided to call it a day. Though her day went as simple as that, it made Rinoa happy enough to consider this new life of hers far more interesting than how she saw it for the past few days. And it's just gonna get even more interesting...

* * *

"You know, the more you keep him from me, the more I'll think something's going on between you two." Rinoa has been pestering Yuna to show him what Tidus looks like since morning. And with that different look on Yuna's face, she knows Tidus is around the cafeteria. But all she got was shaking of Yuna's head.

"Well, I'd tell you alright, but Yunie might get really annoyed at me when we get home." Rikku said after looking around the place.

"He's the dirty blonde, with shirt partially opened, two tables from your left side."

"Paine!" Yuna finally looked up at Paine with bashfulness written all over her face.

Rinoa looked on her left and spotted the dirty blonde. His white shirt was indeed partially opened, revealing more of his tanned skin. The ends of his partially messy hair are pointed at all directions, which style perfectly goes with his noticeably cheerful disposition. He laughed cordially with his equally warm friends.

"He looks fine, Yuna. There's nothing to be shy about." Rinoa raised her thumb encouragingly to Yuna.

"Yes, I find him... really cute. It just feels awkward for me to talk about him." Yuna shyly replied.

Rinoa secretly mouthed a "Thank you" to Paine.

That day was also the scheduled day for their elective classes, which Rinoa has prepared herself for, but still wasn't ready without Yuna by her side.

_I was able to survive first day_, Rinoa thought. _I should be able to get by with this one. Who knows, I might even make more friends._

As she entered the room for the elective class, she was surprised to see that there was quite a number of students attending it. She approached the teacher and presented her registration form. Their professor, a balding, middle-aged man wearing thick round glasses scanned the room and turned to Rinoa.

"There's your seat right over there by Mr. Strife." He smiled.

Strife? Rinoa's heart jumped for a second and returned her teacher's smile. She turned around and indeed, the only seat left for her was the chair beside Cloud Strife, and she could tell why. With his reputation in this whole school, he must've intimidated quite alot of people, hence, trying to avoid him as much as they can.

Cloud didn't turned his eyes from the window beside him as Rinoa took the chair next to him. It felt different for Rinoa compared to how she saw Cloud the day before. This time, not only she felt the usual awkwardness, but the fact that she was the only one who seemed to care about another person's presence, he felt extremely stiff and intimidating to her. She could've turned to the other side to make friends with another person, but she realized that, strangely enough, they have occupied the only two seats at the farthest back part of the room.

Then again, they belong to the same section. And as far as Rinoa knows, they were the only people from 3-B who took Psychology, since she has not seen another familiar face besides Cloud's. Also, Rinoa belongs to his pack, and she felt like she should at least get to know her 'Alpha', as they call him, and there's no other moment like now.

Cloud was lost in his thoughts when a female voice called "Hello." He almost jumped but controlled himself from losing his composure and turned to his right. There sat that new girl from his class, with her torso bent down, as if trying to get a good look at him, smiling back at him. He was quite surprised that someone was actually sitting beside him. Then, he thought, _how long has she been sitting there?_

"Hey." He nodded back at the girl. And as soon as he did, their teacher started discussing their lecture about the brain, at which they responded by opening their notebooks and jotting down notes.

"You're that new girl. Rinoa, right?" Cloud, after copying a few words from the board, turned to Rinoa.

She turned to him, and she could feel her cheeks getting hot as she got a closer look at his sky blue eyes. There's something unique about them, as Rinoa would see it. They're not angry at all, despite the closeness of his eyebrows to each other. They seem hard, yet vulnerable, fierce, yet kind...

And they were staring right back at her.

At that moment, Rinoa wished she wasn't born with pale skin. "Uh- yeah. Cloud... right?" she tried her best to reply without stuttering.

Cloud nodded again and turned back to the lecture. Rinoa did too, but she couldn't help herself from glancing at Cloud once in a while. With the light coming out from the window beside him, his features were given even more emphasis. He has pale skin that looks even more pallid under his white shirt, his blonde hair is spiky, which reminded Rinoa of chocobos. He has a thin figure, but he's got quite a muscular built, and she noticed how he seems a bit shorter than his rival. An Alpha, she thought. Our Alpha could've passed up as an angel, she giggled to herself.

Cloud heard her laugh and looked at her, with his eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"You know, you can pass up an angel." Rinoa, who didn't stop giggling, smiled at Cloud.

Cloud gave out a low chuckle as he looked back to his notes. It wasn't the first time someone remarked something like that to him, he remembered how a childhood friend of his told him the same thing back when they were kids. Yet, hearing it from someone who just met him, someone who he perceived to be shy like Rinoa, made him smile. She's one, outspoken girl, he acknowledged silently.

Two hours of Psychology was no way fun to anyone, and Rinoa was getting close to regretting ever taking this elective. Often, she would find herself blanking out while trying to take in every word their teacher was saying, forgetting that someone sits next to her. Cloud, who noticed that Rinoa stopped taking notes, took a glance at her and saw an unexpected expression from someone who looks as ladylike as Rinoa. Her mouth was partially opened accompanied with a frown as if trying to say 'What the heck are you talking about?'. She has confusion written all over her face.

"If you don't understand anything, you can just always ask me." Cloud plainly offered.

Rinoa took off from her previous expression and turned to Cloud. "Well, it's not that I didn't get anything. I'm almost there. I just need to...." Rinoa pointed her ballpen towards the board and put the tip in her mouth, concentrating.

"Okay."

Cloud turned to her again. Usually, girls would initially say "No... it's fine..." while tucking their hair behind their ears. And as soon as he replied "Okay.", they would quickly take back what they said and claim that they need his help to teach them. But this girl was being a stubborn one.

After a while, he noticed that she hasn't taken down any notes yet, while still focusing on the board in front of them. Cloud sighed to himself.

"Our brain cells die down when they're not used." Cloud explained without taking a glance at Rinoa. "He explained about an experiment done to a newborn baby whose parents blindfolded him. When he became a toddler, he lost his sense of sight completely, though x-rays showed that nothing's wrong with his brain, nor his eyes. Just that, the sight department of his brain stopped functioning because he did not use it for a long time." He carried on. "But it doesn't mean that once our brain cells die, they're gone for good. If we use them again by reading, learning and thinking, they build up and we gain them back."

Rinoa was finally enlightened by Cloud's explanation, and she couldn't believe it was just as simple as that. He can undoubtedly make a better teacher than that person in front. She quickly jotted down everything Cloud explained to her and thanked him for the help.

"You're welcome." He nodded.

_He's not a scary person at all_, Rinoa thought. _He's alot nicer than what everyone thinks, or how I thought he was._

The bell rang, indicating their dismissal. Both Cloud and Rinoa stood up almost immediately, so did the rest of the class. Cloud was about to head out of the door when he heard Rinoa's "Uhm..."

Cloud stopped and turned to her. "Thank you. Really, you've been a great help." She smiled at him.

Cloud nodded at her as he swung his bag to his back. "Glad I could help."

* * *

**Author's Note:** What? No Squall yet? Don't worry, just hang on there and he'll appear pretty soon. :3


	4. Books and the Rain

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF VI, VII, VIII, X and X-2.**

**Author's Note**: I wish I can apologize for not putting relevant Squinoa moments in the previous chapters, but believe me, it's all worth it, especially for the future Squinoa moments. ;)

In this chapter, I attempted to make one particular moment as interesting as possible. Once again, I hope you'll like it. ^^

I want to recognize some of my readers: _LovinHoneyXDHoneyLovin, MonMonCandie, Sorceress Rinoa Heartily,_ and _freestyler91_. Thank you, really, not only for leaving me reviews but especially for reading my work. :3

**Please please please review**! thanks :3

* * *

"We got free tickets for the game!!!" Rikku exuberantly waved three blue paper strips in her hands one lunch break afternoon.

"Already?" Rinoa was quite surprised, knowing it had only been five days since classes started (well for her anyway, since classes technically started 4 weeks ago), yet a blitzball game season is already starting, evident in the tickets Rikku was fluttering in the air.

"Of course! They begin as soon as school starts." She handed one ticket to Rinoa. "Tidus is more excited about Yunie watching him play than winning!" Rikku nudged and winked at Yuna, who was looking down at her lap, blushing. Then, Rinoa noticed something.

"But, there are only three of the-"

"I'm not going." Paine promptly cut her off, with absolute finality in her voice.

Rinoa sweatheaded at that. _So straightforward..._

Spending time with her three new friends has become more frequent for Rinoa, especially with the piles of homeworks they were bombarded with at school, in which they find help from each other to "get them over with". Everyday, they would drop by at Rinoa's place to study, do groupworks (in which cases, Yuna and Rinoa always work in pairs), and, at desperate ocassions, copying answers from the ever so smart Paine.

Despite the pressure and stress school was generously bestowing upon her, Rinoa was never lonely again.

Elective was scheduled on that day, and as usual, Rinoa sat beside Cloud who simply nods at her in greeting. Rinoa has also gone closer to Cloud, without being much affected by their obvious distance in their other classes. Of course, it was also because Rinoa felt domineered by his group, especially that large chested girl Tifa and the red-haired Reno who always wears a smirk on his face. But in Psychology class, Cloud and Rinoa would act like regular classmates.

No. They would act like friends.

Actually, they already are friends.

For the past few days, Rinoa realized that she needed alot of catching up for Psychology, in which Cloud never hesitated to help her with everytime. Being her seatmate, he can always predict if the lesson lost Rinoa in which he would respond by clearing it up for her by using more simplified words. This casual every day gesture was enough to make them grow even closer.

"They would sound the bell as they feed the dogs, which developed their automatic response of drooling everytime they hear the alarm."

"Why?"

"Because they would think that alarm meant food."

"So it's psychological?"

"Yes."

"But, why would they do that to dogs?"

"Because it's an experiment."

"It's also animal cruelty."

Cloud shrugged. "It's just the way it is."

Rinoa does need ALOT of catching up.

"Do they have good Psychology books in the library?" inquired Rinoa, who was writing notes furiously on her notepad.

"Yup yup. Lots of them."Cloud chillingly replied as he watched their boring professor write even more points on the board.

The bell finally rang, to Rinoa's delight. She couldn't stand another minute in the class who gave her hand quite a pain from all that note taking. Not a day passed without Psychology giving her such a headache, and if it wasn't for Cloud, she would've dropped the subject and switched to Visual Arts. Then again, she hates Visual Arts, or any kind of art for that matter, and she thanked Hyne for giving her Cloud.

"I'll probably go to the library and find some good books." Rinoa, annoyed from the lecture, began texting Yuna to tell her that they can go ahead, and to her driver telling him to fetch her after another hour.

"I'll see you around." waved Cloud.

"Yeah. See you."

* * *

Cloud met up with his spiky, dark-haired friend Zack at the entrance of their school and they walked their way towards home. His usually cheerful companion seemed a bit down this time, as they passed through familiar streets, which gave them a longer route, but less people.

"I tell you, with those flowers she sells, Aerith makes more money than I do. I only get, what, five hundred gils for my weekly allowance, and she earns at least a thousand gils from those flowers! AT LEAST A THOUSAND GILS! TWICE as many as my money! Yet I always choose to be the gentleman and do the spending for both of us when we hang out. Listen up bud, I gotta tell you this, if you ever decide to have a girlfriend, save up as much as you can, at least to keep yourself from starving. Not to mention, when she begins discussing about the future and kids-"

Cloud, who was barely listening, stopped at his tracks. There lies a long, carriage truck at the central part of Deling City that caused more than enough commotion, especially when it blocked all the roads connecting most of the city's residences to the main part of the city, where many establishments were located, including their school.

There was an accident, no doubt. A terrible swerve the foolish truck driver made brought dreadful traffic to passing motorists. Cloud could see that the vehicles were not moving. The only way to get to their destination is walking, which what most people did. Cloud could honestly compare them to ants, following a certain path, avoiding the huge intrusion that blocked their way.

What made this worse, as Cloud noticed, was how the sky began to turn gray, blocking the light from the sun. Weather-wise, heavy raindrops will begin to pour, leaving these people no time to waste to reach home, or any shelter.

"Hmmm..." Cloud thought for a second.

"Zack, you go ahead. I have to go back to school. I forgot something." Cloud began running back towards Deling High.

"Cloud, wait! You have my..."

Before Zack could say "umbrella..." Cloud was already out of his sight. He knew it's only a matter of minutes before the shower begins. Zack sighed to himself.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to run for my life too."

* * *

The library doesn't seem (or sound) like a library. At all.

To Rinoa's dismay.

She expected a solemn place, with silence included in the whole package. Instead, she found herself lost in the noisy havoc that contained this supposedly quiet place, mainly used for studying purposes. Rinoa at first thought she stepped into the wrong place. But after double checking the sign at the door that says "**LIBRARY**", this is, no doubt, the place she was looking for. With these kind of students roaming around the place, Rinoa figured the librarian simply gave up maintaining discipline. She began to wonder if these people were really here to study. Still, despite the annoying pandemonium, she pushed through, bearing in mind that she had to catch up with her elective if she doesn't want to fail.

After minutes of tedious searching (with their library being a huge one, it did not help Rinoa), she finally saw the section filled with all the Pscyhology books she can get her hands on. Also, she was happy to find out that nobody was wandering around among these bookshelves, which made this spot practically the most serene area in the library.

She scanned through the shelves, only to find the more advanced materials that even she could not comprehend. She realized she should definitely start off with the basics, which she strangely couldn't find in this section despite the numerous books available. She tried to scan again and found a pattern in the arrangement of books. From "**Schizophrenia and Other Complications**" to "**Family Psychology**", Rinoa assumed correctly that the titles were going simpler as she ran through to the right direction. At the end, it stopped, which mark only told Rinoa to go search the other side of the shelf.

"General psychology... general psychology..." Rinoa has kept to her mind that the best title she can find through these books is 'General Psychology', which she believed will give her all the basic things she should know about the field.

She stepped back, and scanned the topmost part of the shelf. Then, she saw it, even better than what she was looking for.

"**Basic Psychology**".

BINGO. She found it. Silently, Rinoa, patted herself for being lucky to find the best book this library can give to her. Only, her next problem was, how to get it.

Usually, libraries as big as this one have short stalls available for each bookshelf so people can use it to boost their height and reach books located at ridiculously high levels such as this one. And a not-so-tall person like Rinoa deperately needed it. She looked around her for that small stall, only to find none. She did find though a male figure sitting on the floor, absorbed with the book in his hands. Looks like she got company, after all. She couldn't see his face which was covered by his dark, brown hair. His seemingly long legs were folded in a right-angle fashion, which gave Rinoa the impression that he is a tall one. Rinoa didn't have any other option left to get that book and she wondered if this guy can help her out.

Desperate time calls for desperate measures.

"Uhm... excuse me..." Rinoa shyly called to the stranger, and he obediently turned to her.

Then, she froze.

Rinoa suddenly realized that she disturbed (yes, disturbed him, probably even pissed him off) the last person she should get in trouble with. He stared at her with those same piercing blue eyes, expressed with that same frown. That scar that runs between his eyes scared her even more.

She dared bother Squall Leonhart.

Rinoa only hoped she did not annoy him enough to grab her by the neck and throw her miles away from where she was standing. Her defensive reflexes kicked in and pushed her to act quickly before it's too late.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I-" Rinoa momentarily turned to point at the book waiting for her to grab and turned back to Squall, who returned to whatever he was reading. She sighed in relief. It's not easy for the new girl to be alone at a place like this with a person (and a guy at that too) she believed to hold some serious grudge against anyone from her section, especially to her friend Cloud. Also, there was that intimidating air leaking out from him, which stiffened Rinoa even more. Though this was not the first time Rinoa felt intimidated, this particular moment felt alot different from when she first met this guy's rival. Even if he has not said anything to her yet, she felt like there's this sign hanging on top of his head stating '**STAY AWAY FROM HIM**'. Moreover, at that point in time, she felt like a helpless damsel, trapped, in a small cage with a hungry lion. Any sudden move from her might be the end of Rinoa Heartily.

She shook the thought off and returned to the book. Looks like she had to do it herself.

"Okay." She prepared for the ultimate tiptoeing of her life.

She raised her heels, concentrating all her weight to the balls of her feet and pushing her height to the maximum as she tried to reach for that damn book. But it wasn't enough.

She then used her free hand to grab a higher shelf and lift herself up carefully so the whole shelf won't end up falling to her. Still, she couldn't reach it.

Rinoa let out a loud grunt as she gave herself a rest from all that effort just to get that book. She quickly realized that she might have disturbed the extremely fearful lion who, to her relief and annoyance, was still absorbed with what he was reading.

Rinoa couldn't believe what a jerk he was for not helping even after her obvious struggle. She kind of knows why this guy irritates Cloud, he's such a snob and a meanie. But no time to waste on him. She's gonna try again and will not leave this library without that book.

_Let's try this one more time_, Rinoa thought.

"You can do this Rinoa." She quietly told herself.

She tiptoed again, and this time, literally, giving herself the highest boost her feet can endure. She profusely gave her all, until her fingertips can feel the book.

"Almost... there..." She grunted.

But it was the best she can get. Still, she stretched her arm with every inch higher possible, and she might just have her chance to finally possess "**Basic Psychology**" in her hands. However, it did not do her anything.

She was in the brink of giving up when she suddenly noticed a tall shadow hovering over her and felt something warm close to her back. She responsively put herself down, her feet finally at rest, turned around and gasped.

There, standing beside her, was the very Squall who frightened her. He reached for that same book Rinoa was drearily trying to acquire for herself. He grabbed it with ease and faced the front cover to Rinoa.

"Is this the one you want?" His low voice questioned her, with a hint of irritation. It was the first time she heard his voice, and also the first time she heard a voice like that. It was deep, obviously deeper than Cloud's kinder one. It's a type of voice that reminded Rinoa of princes, knights and leaders, the kind that can make people immediately obey or fear him. And it perfectly suits the brunette in front of her, with his thin, tall physique and that fierce look on his face. Rinoa, who was entranced in his impatient blue eyes that demands for a quick and direct answer, responded with a hopeless nod.

"Y-yes. That's the one. Thank you."

Squall handed her the book and went back to his little space.

Rinoa, who was still startled by how this scary (and unbelievably gorgeous) guy just helped her with the book, stood still while hugging the thick 'Basic Psychology' book close to her chest.

Squall, who realized she wasn't leaving yet, let out a deep sigh.

"What?"

"I-uh..." Rinoa, whose cheeks began warming at this point, was honestly curious what he was reading but was too scared to ask, found it as a good excuse to answer his question.

"I was just... wondering... what you're reading."

Without taking a glance at the black haired girl with him, Squall flipped the cover for a split second to confirm the right title.

"Inferno, by Dante Alighieri." He plainly replied.

"Oh! I know that! Kinda scary, huh." The more cheerful one unexpectedly blurted out, forgetting who she was talking to, which the brunette one responded by turning to her with eyebrows raised, revealing even more of his ocean blue eyes.

"Oh, sorry. It's just, I like that book, especially the last one." Rinoa continued. "I like how Dante ended up going to heaven after all he's gone through Purgatorio and Inferno, and realized that it's better to go through Purgatory's punishments than remain in Hell forever."

Squall, who was amused with her answer, only reponded with a deep "Hmm..." and trailed back to his book. Rinoa, who figured she disturbed him enough, finally decided to leave him.

"Anyway, thank you so much again for helping me with this book." She nodded at him and awkwardly walked away.

Her Alpha's rival waited until she was completely out of the area.

"'...better to go through Purgatory's punishments than remain in Hell forever.'" He recalled her saying, and he briefly chuckled at that simple yet unfeigned answer before returning to his book.

* * *

"Miss Heartily!" Rinoa's driver finally answered her call after her desperate attempts to reach him.

"Where are you?" She anxiously asked the equally worried man on the other line.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but I'm stuck at a terrible traffic at this moment! There was apparently a truck accident just a while ago and it blocked all the main streets, including where I am now."

It took a while for Rinoa to absorb everything her driver just told her. And "Oh..." was all she can reply to that.

"I'm really sorry. I'll be right there as soon as they remove the truck."

"No, it's alright Robert. I might just walk myself home."

"Please Ma'am, it's raining hard and it would be better if you'll just wait for me to fetch you."

It's true. Raindrops are falling furiously, producing defeaning sounds on the small roof of the shed Rinoa was waiting at. She doesn't know what time the traffic will subside so Robert can finally take her home. Her only option now is to walk under the rain.

She looked at her watch. It's only 5:00 in the afternoon, but it's getting dark. Probably from the rainclouds that covered the sun, or because it's getting late. Either way, she doesn't want to stay there and wait for Robert until Hyne knows what time. She just wants to go home.

"Robert, I can take care of myself. I might just go walk. It's okay, I have an umbrella with me." She lied at the last part. She didn't bring an umbrella that day. She had heavily relied on her driver and the car that she forgot to bring, of all other things, her umbrella. And she hated herself for such stupidity.

"Are you sure Ma'am?"

"Yes Robert, I just want to go home."

There was a long pause.

Rinoa heard her driver from the other line sigh before reluctantly giving in. "Of course. As you please."

She put her phone back to her bag. She looked at the pouring droplets of water._ I might have to wait until it slows down_, Rinoa thought. _I can't let my things get wet._

But it would seem like it's not gonna slow down anytime soon.

Rinoa hugged her bag and looked down, away from the problem everything around her showed. _Just a little bit longer_, she told herself. _I'll be home in no time_.

"Hey." A familiar voice suddenly called to her.

Rinoa quickly looked up and saw that signature spiky blonde hair and those sky blue eyes gently gazing at her.

"Cloud!" Rinoa joyfully cried at her savior. He was holding an umbrella to shield him from the rain and held out another one to Rinoa, who gladly accepted it.

"C'mon. I'll take you home."

Rinoa gleefully obliged as she finally stepped out of that shed and walked beside her Psych seatmate as they head towards the center of Deling City.

Of course he knew, the moment he saw the truck blocking all the cars from passing, he knew Rinoa would rely on the comforts of her limousine and chauffer without bringing an umbrella. He knew she wouldn't be able to head home as soon as he saw the clouds darkening and rain will start to pour, and her only option will be walking. He also knew that Zack left his umbrella with him, which made a good extra umbrella for Rinoa.

However, he doesn't know why he had to go back just to help her out. He just simply felt like it.

* * *

**Author's Note**: :3


	5. Game

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy, nor the whole series.

**Author's Note**: This is probably the longest chapter so far, with Squinoa moments. (YES! FINALLY!)

There was this scene that you'll be encountering, and it has this coincidentally great similarity with one part of MonMonCandie's story "Between a Mother and Son" (You guys SHOULD READ her story. It's consisted of cute chapters that narrate Squall's and Raine's relationship as they go through some mother-and-son problems). It was funny because I already planned for that fight to appear on this chapter before even reading her story! So I was practically shocked when I read her first chapter, though I honestly thought it went better with her story. I told her that I'll think of something else to replace it, but then as I went through writing this chapter, it can't really be helped and that fight should be there, though I changed some parts. So, public apology to MonMonCandie. ^^" (really sorry! ^^")

I guess, great minds just really think alike XD

Anyway, like always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW**!

thanks :3

* * *

The sunlight was seeping through the golden curtains of Rinoa's room, dazing her half awaken eyes. The day is calling to her, but the mistress of the mansion refused to leave the comforts of her fluffy king sized bed. She planned on using the whole Saturday morning to get as much sleep she needed from all the tiring errands she did for that week, especially from yesterday's incident. Actually, there were two incidents that happened that afternoon; the one at the library with 3-A's Squall, and after that when Cloud saved her from the rain.

She can remember how scared she was being alone with the intimidating brunette. He didn't seem that much of a meanie, unlike what she first thought of him. After all, he helped her get the book in the end, though not before letting her struggle at extremity to stretch her whole body just to reach the book she needed for herself. Nevertheless, his annoyed deep blue eyes and that irritated frown frightened her.

Then, she recollected how helpless she was under that shed until Cloud came at the right time and took her home safely. Compared to Squall, Cloud definitely seems nicer, judging by how he looked at her with his calming and assuring sky-blue eyes. Also, he was immediately there and not by mere coincidence, unlike Squall who just happened to be reading at the same place where Rinoa was. Her spiky-haired savior came, as if he knew she'd be stuck in the rain and came all the way back just for her.

Thanks to Cloud's kindness, Squall seems a big meanie to Rinoa now. But it's too early to judge. Rinoa recalled how her late mother told her not to judge until she knows them intimately. She had known Cloud for three days, and she only saw the nice part of him. There can be another side of that gentle guy, and for all she cares, he could be as mean as Squall. Though Rinoa hated to think of him that way. On the other hand, she encountered Squall only once, and it was also a bad time to disturb him. Still though, he was a bit mean to her, and first impressions last longer to Rinoa than what she or anyone usually believe.

**RING!**

Rinoa froze. She knew she had to get up and answer her phone, but she couldn't be bothered. She can always ignore it and let the caller think she's still sleeping. Truth is, she's still reluctant to get up and do anything. She needed to pee too, but was too lazy to even conside-

**RING!**

The second ring annoyed Rinoa.

**RING!**

The phone was being persistent.

**RING!**

Finally, the hesitant sleeper turned and grabbed the phone from her side table. She then flipped it open.

"Mmmmhello...?" Rinoa managed to grumble.

"Hey Rinoa! Sorry we're kinda late," _Late?_ Rinoa thought. "but we'll be there in fifteen minutes!"

"Rikku...?"

"Yep! Wait..." Rikku's voice suddenly turned alarming. "Rin, you don't sound right. Are you still sleeping?"

"Err, yeah..." she didn't like where this is leading her. She was afraid to ask but she needed to know. "Why?"

"Oh my Hyne, Rinny! We're gonna watch the game today!" Her blonde haired friend yelled from the other line. "Don't tell me you forgot all about it!"

Rinoa panicked. _Oh Hyne... Oh Hyne indeed. Of course, Tidus' blitzball game is today, and I completely forgot about it!_

".... You've got to be kidding me."

"No Rinny!" her friend on the other line was getting as panicky as she is.

"Wait, okay okay, I'll be ready in fifteen minutes!"

Rinoa frantically stood from her bed and ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower. As soon as she finished, she checked her clock and saw that she still has ten minutes to prepare. Rinoa opened her huge cabinet and grabbed a sky blue shirt and a pair of jeans. She then searched through her shoe rack and took her white sneakers. She checked the clock again, she still has five minutes before her friends arrive. She went to pack the sling bag she'll be bringing when her phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Rinny! Are you ready? We're here!"

_Wow, they're a bit early_, Rinoa thought.

"I'll be there in a minute!"

"Okay! Hurry up!"

Rinoa quickly packed her bag and ran down towards the exit of her house. After telling Robert that he won't be working for her today, she went out of the gate to meet her friends on Rikku's Machina Convertible.

"Hey guy! I'm so sorry I completely forgot-"

"Good morning Rinoa!" Yuna, who was sitting on the passenger's seat, turned to greet her with a kind smile. "It's okay. Rikku's overreacting. We're not THAT late anyway. We'll make it in time."

It only took them twenty minutes to reach the venue, which Rinoa stared in awe. It's a huge stadium with a spherical water that covers the whole place. Two large convexed golden metals were spinning around the round roof, maintaing the water's regular flow.

"... Oh my..." Rinoa gasped in astonishment.

"This your first time to see a blitzball stadium?" Rikku amusingly inquired.

"Yes." The raven haired admitted.

"Wait 'til you get inside it." Yuna winked.

After they parked, the three friends ran towards the entrance, which was already jam packed with people. Nonetheless, they managed to get inside and surrender their then went further inside the find the entrance to the stadium proper, which was also filled with alot of people.

"Rinoa, stay close to me." The brown haired one commanded as Rinoa nodded.

They were pushing themselves in when someone suddenly bumped Rinoa, hard enough to make her fall on the floor.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!"

"Ow..." Rinoa sat up, massaging her arm. She looked at the culprit and saw a petite girl, about her age, with shoulder length light brown hair.

"Are you hurt? I'm so sorry-"

"No, I'm fine. It's okay." Rinoa stood up and searched for Yuna and Rikku, who were no where to be seen among the large crowd.

_Great._

"Are you okay? What's the matter?" The petite girl who sounded worried, asked Rinoa while observing her from head to toe. She seemed to have seen the annoyed look on Rinoa's face.

"Oh, nothing, it's just..." Rinoa sighed. "I just... lost my friends."

"Oh no! They ditched you? That's mean!"

"No no no no! It's nothing like that," Rinoa was violently shaking her hands to gesture the girl's misunderstanding. "with all this commotion, I just couldn't see them anymore."

"Oh! And it's all my fault! I'm sorry!" Rinoa thought the girl was going to cry.

"Oh, please, don't worry about it. I'm sorry I'll find them when I get in."

"Oh yeah! You can find them inside, it won't be that hard anymore!" The girl grabbed Rinoa's hand. "Come! Let's go!"

She pulled Rinoa in, fighting and pushing against everyone in their way. Rinoa could feel and smell the bodies of avid viewers as she squeezed herself into the crowd. Still, the girl pushed through while pulling Rinoa in. And after what seemed like forever, they made it inside and Rinoa can finally breathe again.

"Whee! We made it!" The girl spread her arms and danced.

Rinoa giggled at her childlike move. Then, she searched through the stadium for any sign of Yuna and Rikku. Still, she couldn't find them anywhere.

"You look familiar to me." The brown-haired girl's arm was folded across her chest, while her free hand was massaging her chin. "Are you from Deling High?"

Rinoa turned to the girl. "Yeah."

"Wohoo! Finally a schoolmate!" The girl spread her arms again. "What's your name?"

_Oh! A schoolmate!_ Rinoa thought "I'm Rinoa Heartily. You?"

"Selphie Tilmitt. Pleasure to meet ya!" She reached her left hand to Rinoa's and shook it.

Rinoa's phone vibrated. "Excuse me." She gestured to Selphie. Rinoa reached for her phone and was relieved to see who was calling.

"Yuna!"

"Rinoa! Where are you?" Yuna sounded really worried.

"I'm inside now." Rinoa assured her. "I met a schoolmate of ours, she helped me get in."

"Oh... that's good to hear." Yuna sighed in relief. "What's her name? I might know her."

"Selphie. Selphie Tilmitt."

There was a pause. Rinoa wondered why Yuna wasn't responding for quite a few seconds.

"Hello?" She called to Yuna.

"Oh... uhm, Selphie..." her friend from the other line sounded disoriented.

"Yeah, Yuna. Why?"

"Well, Selphie's from 3-A." Rinoa's eyes widened and did not dare take a glance at her newfound schoolmate.

"But, don't worry! From what I know, Selphie's a really nice and friendly girl. She's friend's with Rikku actually. But..." Yuna paused. "remember Yuffie? From our class? Well, they hate each other. And that's maybe because Yuffie's from 3-B."

"Oh... well..."

"It's okay Rinoa, it's best if you stay with her. You won't find us anymore because Tidus found us and gave us reserved seats on the front row." Rinoa looked around, and realized that she was at the middle part of the stadium. Front seats were located way way down below.

"Yeah, I'm pretty far from you guys now." In Rinoa's dismay.

"Yeah." Yuna sounded upset too. "You should be fine with her, she doesn't seem to know which section you belong to, but it's safer if you don't tell her anything about that."

"Yeah, I got you." Rinoa nodded in agreement.

"I'll meet you at the entrance of this building when the game finishes, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll see you later!Take care!"

"I will! You too!"

Rinoa turned to her company and smiled. "Sorry about that."

"No worries!" She grabbed Rinoa's hand. "Let's go take our seats!"

Rinoa nodded while forcing a smile. She was clearly scared because she's practically with her section's enemy. This friendly and cheerful girl actually belongs to the rival side, and even hated one of Rinoa's classmates. She figured that whoever she is, wherever they are, they represent the sections they're in. 3-A and 3-B will always be enemies no matter what. They should be fighting or snobbing each other right now, and Rinoa hated the thought of that. She prefers having Selphie as her friend like how she is right now. And, as ridiculous as it may sound, hiding something simple like she's from 3-B makes Rinoa very uncomfortable. Selphie is her friend now, but what if she finds out that they're supposed to be enemies? Will their current friendship instantly change even if she has not done anything to her?

"Is this okay with you?" Selphie broke Rinoa from her thoughts and pointed at three empty seats.

"Yeah, that should be fine."

After they sat, Selphie loaded Rinoa with alot of questions like where she's from, how her mother died, where she lives and what her favorite food is. Rinoa found the last question a bit random, but she still thanked Hyne that she hasn't asked what section she's from.

"I like chocolates. Hell I'm gaga over them."

"I like chocolates too! I eat, like, five bars of them a day!"

Rinoa's eyes widened with surprise. Five bars? And yet she looks thin?

Selphie read the question in Rinoa's expression. "It's true! Isn't it funny that I don' get that fat?"

Rinoa giggled. "Well, you're lucky to have that kind of body."

"Yup! Luckily I do and eat all the chocolates I want! I can't live without them!" the hyper one patted her stomach.

"Hey there beautiful!" A male voice called behind them. Both girls turned around.

"Irvine! Honey!" Selphie stood up and hugged him. Rinoa saw a tall guy with long, brown wavy hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a cowboy hat. After he let go of Selphie, he turned to Rinoa.

"And who is this fine lady?"

"Oh! She's my new friend, Rinoa! She's from our school too!"

"Nice to meet you." Rinoa nodded at him.

"Irvine's the name." He reached for his hat and took it off. He held it against his chest and took a bow. "Pleasure."

Irvine then went and sat beside Selphie. Rinoa realized why Selphie saved another seat. It's for her boyfriend.

_Then, does that also mean, Irvine's from 3-A too?_ Rinoa became even more terrified. She felt like a lone soldier in a battle, outnumbered by enemies.

"By the way Rinoa," Selphie turned to her new friend. "what section are you from?"

Rinoa froze as soon as she heard the words "what", "section", and "from". She asked it after all. _Oh Hyne, please, not this question. Any question will do. Just not this one._

Rinoa turned to look at Selphie, hoping that she wasn't as serious in asking. But on the contrary, she does, she was patiently waiting for Rinoa's answer. Rinoa tried to regain her poise by taking a deep breath.

"Well," she let the word pass through with the air that she took into her lungs. "I'm-"

The lights around them turned off. The crowd began to cheer hysterically. She saw her friend stood up and waved her hands as she yelled. It's starting.

_Oh Hyne, I'm forever grateful._

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the thirtieth season of Interschool Blitzball Competition, sponsored by Cid Corporation, Oaka and Company, Rin's Travel Agency, and Fujin Electronics." The crowd died down a bit. "And now, we present to you, the challengers of today's game, on the left hemisphere, the Balamb Aurochs!" The crowd from the opposite side of the stadium began to cheer loudly as Rinoa watched topless guys wearing puffy purple pants swimming from the left side of the water sphere. "And on the right hemisphere, champions of three seasons in a row, the invincible Deling Abes!" Selphie, along with other people from their side boomed so loudly Rinoa thought she lost her sense of hearing. She turned to the other side and saw Yuna's dirty blonde guy swimming out, leading his team. Unlike their competitors, they're wearing yellow hoodies, which are half open, exposing their chests, and black shorts, with one side longer than the other.

"Go Tidus!" Rinoa shouted from the crowd.

* * *

Squall was peacefully sleeping on his couch while holding an open book against his chest. He was reading all night and slept at a considerably late hour. He has been on that couch since and his tired body refused to get up, even when the warm sunlight from his window touched his soft fair face. He was lost in his dreamland...

when his phone rang.

**RING!**

He grumbled and ignored it as he shifted uncomfortably from the noise his phone was making.

**RING!**

Disgruntled, he finally reached for his phone.

"Hey Squall!"

"Tidus.." Squall mumbled as he moved his arm on top of his forehead.

"Guess what man, we won!" his friend from the other line proudly announced.

"So?"

"Hey, you know the deal!" Tidus pressed. "You're coming to the afterparty."

Of course he remembered the deal. He won't be at the game, only if he agrees that he'll come at the afterparty if Tidus' team wins.

"No."

"Hey, no cheating!" His friend accused. "You didn't even watch me play, you should at least make it up to me for losing one viewer. And my friend at that too."

"You know I don't like crowds. As my _friend_, you should understand." Squall stressed the word friend with a sarcastic tone.

"Why, did you even watch our game on television?"

He got Squall at that. His brunette friend was sleeping all this time, he wasn't even able to turn on the television.

Squall let out an annoyed sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll be at the party."

"I'll take your word for it dude! I'll be expecting you there!" Tidus replied with demand on his voice.

"Whatever."

Squall put his phone down and sat up. He took a glance at the clock. It was 6:15, and he only has forty five minutes to prepare. He felt stupid for agreeing on the deal. Of course they will win, when did they ever lose?

* * *

"We won! We won!"

Selphie was jumping endlessly as they exited the stadium. She, Irvine and Rinoa were now heading towards the exit of the building.

"The way they played! It's amazing!" Rinoa was still astonished with the game as she was cheering with Selphie.

"Yo Rinoa, you coming at the afterparty?" Irvine interruped the two victoriously cheering girls as they approach the building exit.

"Afterparty? Where?" Rinoa asked with a confused look on her face.

"At Tidus' place." Irvine pointed his thumb at the stadium's direction, where their school's starplayer played. "You coming?"

Knowing how Yuna would love to be with Tidus, she might end up attending the afterparty. Then again, maybe not. "Well, I'm not sure yet. It depends on my friends, really."

"Oh yeah! Where are your friends?" Selphie, who suddenly remembered about Rinoa's friends, stopped jumping.

"We agreed to meet up at the building exit right after the game. I'll wait for them there."

"Oh, goodie! Do you want us to wait with yo-"

"Oh! No no no, I'll be fine." Rinoa immediately cut her off. If Yuna knows who Selphie is, then this girl probably knows her brown haired friend. Though she wondered if they're at least acquainted, since Yuna's cousin Rikku is Selphie's friend.

"Oh, okay then!"

After a few minutes of fighting again against the crowd, they finally reached the exit. Rinoa can clearly see Yuna and Rikku standing there, waiting for her.

"Well, I'll go ahead and meet my friends there." Rinoa almost pointed at Yuna's spot, then she remembered she's with people from 3-A, so she waved at Selphie and Irvine instead.

"Alrighty! Hope to see you at the party!" Selphie waved back at Rinoa.

"Yup! I hope so too! See you around!"

"See ya!" Irvine winked.

Rinoa turned and ran to her friends. She saw Yuna turned to her wearing a worried look. So did Rikku.

"Rinny! I'm so glad you're okay!" Yuna hugged her black haired friend.

"Yeah, she was really panicky, she almost missed Tidus' winning shot." Rikku rolled her eyes.

Rinoa chuckled. "You guys, I'm fine, really. They were nice to me."

"They?" Yuna let go of Rinoa and exchanged confused looks with Rikku.

"Yeah, well, Selphie's boyfriend Irvine arrived and watched the game with us."

"Oh. Well, that's good. Irvine's a good guy." Rikku assured Rinoa.

"Yeah, he seems like it." Rinoa replied. "Oh, by the way, are we going to the afterparty?"

"Of course! Yunie MUST be there!" Rikku elbowed Yuna.

"She just really can't resist Tidus." Rinoa shrugged.

The three headed back to the Rikku's convertible and went out of the area. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a modern wide house, which was seemingly built with glass windows. Colored lights were seen flickering from the residence, and young people (probably students from Deling High, Rinoa noted) were heading inside the house.

"Tell Tidus, that he has a really neat crib, but he needs to start buying some curtains." Rinoa commented to which both her friends laughed at.

After Rikku parked in front of the house, they jumped out and headed inside along with the other students. There was loud music, torturing Rinoa's recovering eardrums which suffered enough from all the cheering back at the game. She then got a good look around and saw even more modern furnitures inside, and she especially noticed the couch where most couples where seated, hogging to her disgust. She also noticed a big round alcohol bar located at the center of the starplayer's large living room with a male and a female bartender doing some stunts with the bottles and shakers, sliding drinks to everyone seated on the stalls around them.

"Hey!" Yuna yelled as Rinoa turned and saw two big hands covering her friend's eyes. He friend from Besaid was smiling as she held them. Rinoa and Rikku, who were trying to hold their laugh back, knew who the guy behind Yuna was.

"Tidus!" Yuna shouted and turned to see the blonde star of the night smiling back at her. She jumped and embraced him "Congratulations! You did great!"

Her two companions knew better that they should leave them with their privacy. Rikku grabbed Rinoa's hands and pulled her towards the bar.

* * *

Squall parked his car, lining it with the other vehicles that brought alot of people to the party. Through Tidus' windows, he can see the crowded place. He turned off the engine and shook his head, irritated that he's going to do this... again. He doesn't like crowded places, and he'd rather stay alone at his apartment, sleeping. But he owes his friend ALOT of games, and he needed to do this for him. The reluctant brunette let out a last sigh before stepping out of his car.

As was expected, everyone looked at him as he entered the Hyne-forsaken house, even as he wore his black shades. Seems like people still recognize him after all.

He hates it.

He looked for Tidus, just so he can prove to him that he appeared at the party and get himself quickly off the hook, but he doesn't seem to be mingling with his guests. Then, he caught Tidus' blonde head at a bench outside, by the pool that glistened with the moonlight. He was sitting with the Besaid girl, his arm around her. _Finally,_ Squall thought. It was getting painful (and annoying) watching his friend do nothing about his long-time crush. He had his eyes on that girl ever since she got herself into that school, and he only had his childhood friend Squall as his confidante. Now, looking at the scene, Squall could only grin. As much as he wanted to mess with his friend and interrupt the moment, he decided to simply leave and return to the comforts of his home.

Squall was about to head to the door when something caught his eye by the bar. He took a good look.

Long, black hair that belongs to a petite girl with pale skin, sitting at the bar. He wished he can see her face, but her back was facing him. But he knew it was her, that new girl from the library.

_Maybe I'll stay around a bit._

* * *

"Yo Gippal!" Rikku was waving her martini, beckoning on her eye patched friend sitting beside her. "Get your ass inside and show us your mega bartending crap you've been bragging about!"

"No fucking way!" Her equally drunk blonde friend yelled back while taking one big gulp from his bottled gin, only to find it empty. He shook it downwards, hoping a drop would come out. But there was none.

"Wherehas therhum-" He hiccuped. "gone..." He managed to say as he was swaying to his sides.

"C'mon you nincompoop!" Rikku's free, wobbly limbs pushed Gippal, who instantly fell on the floor. Rikku hiccupped and turned to Rinoa. She pointed her thumb to her knocked out friend and grimaced. "Idiot."

Rinoa hasn't touched the martini Rikku ordered for her, especially after watching her friend get drunk with that Gippal guy. It was her first time to drink alcohol, and seeing how the rest of the guests were so used to getting drunk, she felt embarrassed for herself. She raised her glass up to her nose and smelled it. She didn't like the strong stench she took in. She returned it to the table.

"What are you-" hiccuped "waiting for?" Rikku, after taking another gulp, slurred at Rinoa.

"Ugh..." the blonde one's eyes widened and held her stomach. She shook her head violently. "I'll go.. to the bathroom." She then pointed her index finger to Rinoa. "And when I come back-" she hiccuped again. "you'll be done with that." She meant the martini. With her wobbly legs, she pushed herself against the crowd and headed to the poor bathroom. Rinoa looked at her untouched drink and inhaled deeply. "Okay."

The first gulp was a bit strong, but she can taste the sweetness of the drink. The second one was painful, it felt like acid flowing through her throat. Rinoa decided that was enough as she put her glass back at the table.

"HEY! STOP IT!"

Rinoa jumped at the small shriek that came from behind her. She turned around and was surprised to see a furious Selphie glowering at someone, while her arms were widely spread, as if protecting a poor victim. And she was defending someone, it was no other than her boyfriend Irvine who was sitting on the floor, his nose bleeding. Rinoa glanced at the attacker and saw a tall blonde guy, wearing an outraged expression.

Their brawl has attracted enough attention from all the guests of the party.

"Tell that asshole to GET THE FUCKING OUT OF MY WAY!" The tall one said. "It's MY problem with Quisitis! Not HIS!" His face was fuming red, his eyes were widended with anger. He's obviously drunk with that kind of temper he was showing.

"He was just trying to help you, SEIFER!" Selphie moved her face closer to her boyfriend's assailant.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" He raised his hand, about to hit the brown haired girl when someone suddenly blocked his way.

"STOP!" Rinoa ran in between them. She spread her arms wide, to defend her friend Selphie.

* * *

Squall, who was sitting at a far corner of the venue all this time, witnessed the whole incident. His friends Seifer and Quistis were having a bad argument in front of their friends, Zell, Selphie and Irvine. Seifer was getting drunk too, and if it wasn't for his pony-tailed friend who blocked Seifer's fist, he would've almost hit Quistis. Enraged, he punched Irvine and broke his nose, but the fool didn't fight back, and simply received another blow. Selphie, who automatically defended him, was also getting another attack from their short-tempered friend. Until that girl came.

Squall, who was invisible from the sight of many, stood up almost immediately, as if his reflexes alarmed him. His heart jumped as soon as he saw that girl face the presently dangerous Seifer.

"Rinoa!" Selphie cried to her surprise at Rinoa's arrival. Her friend was glaring at Seifer, even if she obviously doesn't know who she's dealing with.

Seifer looked at Rinoa, then Selphie, as if he can't believe that they're stopping him. _HIM_. He let out a loud laugh.

"Wow, two girls fighting for one guy. You should be proud Irvine!" The tall one taunted at the bleeding Irvine, as Rinoa spread her arms even wider, still shooting a more furious glare at Seifer.

"Stop it!" Rinoa demanded.

"You!" Seifer grabbed Rinoa's black hair as she held his hands to pull them away from her head. "Stay out of thi-"

Then, another hand forcefully grabbed the drunkard's arm.

"That's enough Seifer." A low voice commanded. But his hands didn't let go of the unfortunate girl's hair, who let out a small whimper.

"Not you too, Squall."

"Let go of her." He ordered, with demanded finality in his voice. Seifer turned to him, as he glared back at the ice blue eyes piercing at him.

"Make me." Seifer grinned, making fun of Squall and of the moment.

But Squall did not take the joke lightly.

He charged at Seifer with a strong blow, sending his opponent off flying to the center table. He got up and rushed towards Squall with a fist, but the brunette easily dodged it. He then grabbed the drunk one by his shoulder and sent a strong hook to his stomach, and another one to his face, knocking him down, leaving a bleeding cut on his cheek. It was easy to get knocked out when you're drunk, and Squall knew that weakness part of his opponent.

"RINOA!"

Squall turned back at the two girls Seifer was picking on earlier, and saw a distressing sight. Selphie was kneeling beside a seemingly unconscious Rinoa, who was wheezing. Her limbs were as limp as her whole body, with only her torso expanding as she attempts to take short breaths of air inside her lungs.

Also, she was turning pink all over, and red spots started apearring on her arms.

By this time, the whole crowd around them stood frozen, watching the whole thing happen before their eyes. Even Tidus was already inside with Yuna drearily hugging his arm.

Squall knelt beside the unconscious Rinoa and instinctively scooped her in his arms. He then turned to Selphie.

"Get Quistis."

* * *

"It seems like she had some serious allergy attack." A female voice explained. "That remedy we gave her should be enough. She'll be alright."

Rinoa's breathing became slightly easier for her after taking a liquid medicine that was forced into her mouth. She barely remembered what happened, besides the incident with Selphie and that guy Seifer. The next thing she knew, her chest tightened and she was fighting for air.

She slightly opened her eyes and saw warm yellow light surrounding her. She also saw a blurring figure of a man with brown hair, hovering on top of her face. She blinked.

Then, there was another figure, a female one with long, blonde hair. She blinked again.

The people around her became clearer as she tried to open her weak eyelids. She turned her head back where she saw the first person to look at her.

And saw Squall.

She instantly noticed his blue eyes. They weren't frowning anymore, though his expression is still plain, yet there's a hint of worry.

"Rinny! She's awake Yunie!" A familiar voice cried tha belongs to none other than Rikku.

Yuna rushed to her side. "Rinoa! Thank goodness."

"Mmm..." Rinoa mumbled. "... what happened?"

"You fell unconscious." Selphie, who appeared by Yuna's side said. "Then Squall carried you to Tidus' room and had Quistis here take a look at you."

"You just had an allergy." Quistis brushed Rinoa's hair. "Is there something you ate, or probably drank tonight?"

Rinoa thought for a moment as she recalled what happened before that incident. "Uhm... I drank a martini."

"Have you ever had a martini before this party?"

Rinoa shook her head. "No. It was my first time."

"Then you're probably allergic to martini, or possibly anything with alcohol content." Quistis smartly explained.

"Ahehe..." Rikku scratched her head. "I think it's my fault. I bought the martini for Rinoa."

"No, it's okay Rikku. None of us knew I was allergic to it."

"Still... I'm sorry."

There was a long pause. Rinoa couldn't be stuffed talking anymore. Her head still hurts. As much as she wanted to stay on Tidus' bed and rest for a while longer, she wanted to go back to her own room.

"I should go home." She mumbled.

"No dear, you need to rest a bit longer."

Rinoa shook her head. "Please, I just want to go home." She sat up and as soon as she did, pain stabbed her head. She grumbled as she put her hand on her forehead.

"I'll take you home Rinny!" Rikku offered.

"No, it's okay." Rinoa didn't want to ruin the party for her friends just because she wanted to go home. Besides, recalling how she acted at the bar where Rinoa last saw her, she's probably still drunk. "I'll just go call Robert to fetch me here."

"I'll take you home." Squall cut in.

Rinoa would rather have Rikku take her home than deal with Squall and owe him for the favor. "No, Robert should be fine. Thank you anyway." She reached for her bag, which Yuna obediently gave to her.

"Does he even know where this place is?" Squall, with a teasing tone in his voice, questioned Rinoa.

"No, maybe you can explain to him. That will be a great help." Rinoa was getting irritated with his persistence, and her throbbing head wasn't helping.

"No."

Rinoa turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because it's stupid. Why would I bother explaining the direction to Tidus' house when I can take you home myself?"

Rinoa opened her mouth to reply, but no word slipped out. She looked around and everyone froze at their little argument, waiting for Rinoa's rebuttal. But she's in no mood for entertaining them, and there's no way this guy is giving up.

She sighed in defeat. "Fine."

* * *

The whole trip was a quiet one. Annoyance and awkwardness were the atmosphere's main components. After being given with directions by Rikku, Squall had to carry Rinoa down to his car when her weak legs were slowing them down. Of course, this embarrassed the raven-haired which made her even more annoyed at Squall.

She turned here eyes from the windows to the owner of the car. His eyes were frowning again, like he was giving much focus on the road. But then, it seems like they weren't. He was frowning, but he wasn't angry. He seems to be... thinking.

He felt the brown eyes from the passenger's seat staring at him with much curiousity. He glanced at them for confirmation.

"What?" He had that same tone he gave her back at the library after he helped her get the book.

"Why did you want to take me home?" Rinoa asked suspiciously.

Because it would make him feel better if he takes her home himself.

"Because I felt responsible for what happened."

"What does this have anything to do with your responsibility?"

"Because Seifer was part of my group."

"He's from 3-A?"

"Yes."

"With Selphie?"

Squall didn't answer.

"But why was he going to hit her? And that Irvine, he broke his nose!"

"Seifer's like that. He gets out of control easily." He plainly stated.

"And you felt responsible because you're their leader?"

"Maybe."

"Do you even know which section I belong to?"

Of course he knows, ever since he first saw her. "You're from 3-B."

"Then why did you help me?"

_I don't know. _

"Trying to avoid fighting Cloud again, I guess."

"Oh..."

There was a long pause.

"What's it with this whole, rivalry thing anyway." Squall heard Rinoa mumble. But he didn't reply to it. He honestly doesn't know why he's still in rivalry with Cloud, even after the school seperated them. They should've just shoved their fight aside and live their own lives, yet it went even worse. Not only it became a worse fight between two arrogant people, but a fight between sections, involving more people.

Including this girl beside him.

She stared at his eyes again. They're looking at the road now, but still frowning, though she noticed how his eyebrows were closer now to each other. Something seems to be bothering him.

"Something wrong?" Rinoa asked with sincerity in her voice. Squall looked at her curiously and shook his head.

"No."

Then they stopped, and Rinoa realized that they finally arrived at her house. Squall stepped out of his car, walked around to Rinoa's side and opened her door. She was about to get off when he suddenly scooped her again in his arms and carried her towards the gate of her mansion.

"Hey!" Rinoa was swinging her legs and pushing herself away from Squall. "I can walk! Let me go!"

"And when do you plan to step into your house?" Squall was firmly holding her still. "In ten years?" He sounded serious.

"If that's what it takes then I'd rather deal with that, so put me down!" Rinoa yelled.

"No."

_He's annoying._

The gate was opened by one of Rinoa's maids, who gave them a puzzled look. Squall was clearly irritated, and so was Rinoa, who was pouting with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Ma'am? Are you alright? Who is this ma-"

"I'm fine."

"She's fine."

Both cut the maid in unison.

The finally reached the door of Rinoa's mansion when Squall placed her down, gently. Rinoa still had her arms crossed, careful not to look at the brunette.

Squall sighed. "You're being childish."

"So?"

Squall rolled his eyes. "Listen, before you go in, there's something you should know." Rinoa finally looked at him. "It's better that this news doesn't reach Cloud."

"Too late for that, don't you think? Everyone at the party saw what happened." There was anxiety in her voice.

Squall shook his head. "My friends will take care of that."

"How?"

"Don't worry about it anymore."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay."

After taking a last good look at Rinoa, Squall turned around and headed back to his car.

_He didn't bite_, Rinoa thought. _After what happened tonight, Squall is not really as scary as his cold disposition._

She opened the door and walked to the stairs. All she wanted now is a good shower and a long rest. She tried to recall if there's anything for tomorrow that she could've probably forgotten again, and thankfully there's none. She had a long day and thanked Hyne for letting her get the sleep of her life.


	6. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Final Fantasy series or any part of it.

**A/N:** So here you'll find out what happened after the afterparty incident. I hope I can say more, but I want you to read this chapter for yourself and let you be the judge. :3

Again, thank you for those who read and wrote reviews for me!*huggies* ^^

And **PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you! :3**

* * *

"Seifer grabbed Rinoa's hair!"

Those four words Reno yelled were enough to make Cloud rush out of the classroom and bolt towards 3-A's room.

Just a while ago, before Cloud arrived, nobody dared to talk about what happened during the afterparty, not even Rinoa or Yuna. They talked about school, shopping, the game... anything, but the afterparty. But Reno and his big mouth was kind enough to skip the part where Squall saved Rinoa and told his spiky head friend what Seifer did to their new classmate.

And Cloud was definitely not pleased.

"Almasy." He demanded by the 3-A's door as the whole section froze at his arrival.

It was his taller rival Squall that appeared to face him, and his culprit friend behind him. By this time, people were gathering in front of 3-A's room, and Rinoa had to squeeze herself towards the commotion.

"Strife."

"Move Leonhart, I came for Almasy."

"Is this about the afterparty?"

"So you do know."

"I already took care of him."

"I still haven't."

"It was done."

"What happened has happened."

"So get over it."

"Not a chance."

"C'mon Squall, let me have a good fight with this chocobo!" Seifer interrupted the steely argument between the two rivals, provoking Cloud with his mocking voice. "Besides..." He let out a grin. "was it my fault that she stepped in my way?"

Squall sent his blonde friend a deadly glare.

Cloud was already fuming with anger. "Step aside Leonhart. Don't make me fight you out of it."

Squall chuckled before looking away from his friend and faced his blonde rival. "So you'd rather go through this again instead of letting it go."

"Exactly what I'm doing."Cloud's fist was shaking with fury.

"Stop it!" Rinoa cried as she stepped into the middle of the brunette and the blonde, trying to halt yet another fight. This time, she wasn't mad anymore, rather begging the two men to stop, both of which were surprised to see her.

"That's enough!" Rinoa cried again. She had seen enough fighting.

"Please..." She looked at Squall with pleading eyes, who slowly calmed down, but still glowering at Cloud.

"He saved me." She then turned at Cloud, who gave her a sympathetic look. He finally relaxed his fist, but not before giving Seifer one last glare as if saying he's not done with him yet.

Everyone froze. Everything fell silent.

Cloud finally turned and began walking to their classroom, with Rinoa's hands gently placed on his back, as if pushing or leading him away from the spot where he almost fought Squall. She then gave the frowning brunette an apologizing look before disappearing out of his sight.

* * *

Cloud was sitting alone at the far back corner of 3-B's classroom, surrounded by an invisible dark and terrifying aura. No one, not even one of his friends, went anywhere near him. They knew they had to leave him alone this time, and his exasperated face told them so.

"Wow, never saw him THAT angry before." Zack, who was sitting in front of Rinoa and Yuna, commented worriedly.

"Was it that bad?" Cloud's short haired friend Yuffie intriguingly asked Rinoa.

Rinoa sighed. "He just pulled my hair. Nothing so serious to fight about, really."

The large chested girl Tifa, who was sitting beside Rinoa, rubbed her new classmate's back. "Still, he hurt you. He shouldn't do that, nor should anyone."

"I know, but Squall was right. It was done. Finished. There's no point dwelling about it anymore." Rinoa was getting irritated about the afterparty issue.

Yuna gently took Rinoa's hand and patted it. "Rinoa's right, but it's sad how Seifer doesn't seem to be sorry at all."

"Well..." Rinoa thought for a moment. _Yuna was right, that jerk wasn't sorry. With that look on his face a while ago, it was as if he enjoyed the moment and the incident_. Rinoa could slowly understand how Cloud exactly felt, to think it was her he attacked that night. But she already chose to forget about it and let it pass. Besides, Squall already took care of him for her.

"... it's not my problem anymore." Rinoa continued after giving much thought about what to reply. "What matters to me now is that nothing worse than that happened."

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with rumors and intrigues about the afterparty, which did not help Rinoa with her want and need to move on from the incident. Sure, it was finished, it ended as soon as it started. But with the curious stares and unusual attention she had been receiving that day, people from Deling High obviously did not want to let it go, nor let the issue die down.

At lunchbreak, Rikku and Yuna tried their best to avoid ever talking about what happened that morning, and about the major headline everyone has been keenly discussing about. While Paine, well, Paine was just her stoic self, neither giving much care about the issue, nor acting that it actually happened, which actually made Rinoa glad. Paine was the only thing normal about her day.

She glanced around the cafeteria, and looked for his usual spot, but Squall wasn't there. She wasn't even able to thank him about helping her from Seifer, her allergies, and for bringing her home. Even if it was against her wishes, he helped her through the night out of his own will. He didn't even ask her much favor in return except not to let the incident reach Cloud's ears, before leaving her by her mansion's doorstep.

Then, Rinoa realized something. Rikku told her that everyone here in Deling knows where her father's mansion is. She wondered then, why did Squall never mentioned anything about it when he brought her home.

_Did he forget? Maybe he doesn't know? But if he was here for quite a long time, ever since he started high school, he should know. He is, after all, THE Squall Leonhart, Cloud's equal, and they practically rule the place. Yeah, he probably does._

_But then again, why did Rikku had to give him directions back at Tidus' house if he does know? shouldn't he have memorized every corner of Deling City at the back of his hand by now?_

"Hey Rikku," Rinoa, who didn't let go from her trail of thoughts yet, turned to her blonde friend. "you gave Squall the direction to my house, right? Back at the party?"

Rikku gave her a confused look. "Uhm, yeah..." she then looked up, trying to remember. "well, he asked for it, so I gave it to him." She shrugged.

"So he didn't know?"

"Probably. Maybe he didn't know how to get to your house from Tidus' place, or maybe he forgot, I dunno." Rikku shrugged again.

"That's weird... you told me before that everyone in Deling City knows where my house is."

Rikku's eyes widened. "Whoah. Well, that's creepy."

Rinoa honestly thought the same.

As far as she knows, anyone who encounters her house would instantly recognize who she is, the daughter of General Caraway. Not to brag about it or anything, but shouldn't Squall at least identify the owner of the house he brought Rinoa to? Or maybe he doesn't care?

Then, Rinoa realized a more sensible reason.

_Does Squall even LIVE in Deling City?_

_

* * *

  
_

That afternoon was Psychology period again, and Rinoa was still scared to get anywhere near Cloud. Recalling how dreadfully mad he was this morning when he was facing Squall made her shudder, and now she had to deal with the tempered one for two hours. She couldn't avoid him by moving her chair somewhere else in the room, that might make him feel worse than he already does. She glanced at their corner before entering the room, and as usual there he was, staring again at nowhere out of the window.

Carefully, she sat beside him, without attempting to greet him like she usually does.

"Don't worry, I won't eat you." Cloud plainly assured her without taking his eyes off the window. Rinoa couldn't even get herself to laugh at his joke. _Actually, I'd rather let you eat me right now_, Rinoa thought.

The class started almost immediately and they found themselves scribbling notes again. Rinoa acted as if she understood what the professor was discussing, cautious that Cloud might notice and teach her, as usual. Only Hyne knows how he'll talk to her, and she wasn't ready for it yet.

And her act was working great so far. But it was getting awkward, and her attention kept on drifting away from the lesson to the blonde sitting next her.

An hour has passed and the silence between the two was getting uncomfortable for Rinoa. She glanced at Cloud, who was boringly listening to their teacher. She felt guilty for avoiding him, and she thought she had to at least do something to get him start talking again. After all, it was her who was trying not to start a conversation with him.

She flipped her notebook to the last page and wrote something. Then she slid it on Cloud's desk, who quickly looked at it. He read.

**_I'm sorry about this morning._**

His expression didn't change. Rinoa was expecting at least a smile or a frown, but nothing like that came. He simply shook his head and looked at her (finally!). His sky-blue eyes were not angry anymore. They were... deadpan.

"It's not your fault." He told her. "Don't worry about it."

Rinoa smiled meekly at him.

"Cloud," She hoped he won't get angry again at the next words she was going to tell him. "please don't be mad at Squall anymore."

She pleaded.

Cloud's brows met again as he looked away at Rinoa. The black-haired girl can feel her heart beating fast with tension. She knew she would regret saying those words to Cloud, but it was done and she had to push through.

"Cloud, he helped me. When Seifer grabbed my hair, he immediately appeared by my side and practically threw Seifer away." She was exagerrating that part so Squall would sound heroic, but it WAS what she saw that night. "And when I collapsed-"

"You WHAT?!" Cloud almost shouted the last word. Rinoa's eyes quickly darted to their professor to check if he noticed, but luckily he was busy writing notes on the board.

"I drank a martini that night and it happens that I was allergic to alcohol." Rinoa quickly explained. "It was bad, so I fainted. Selphie was there too," She started to try make Selphie sound good to Cloud. "she was instantly by my side. Then after knocking Seifer out, Squall carried me and took me to Tidus' room. And this girl Quistis was there, she checked me and told me I had an allergy."

"Hmm..." Cloud muttered curiously.

"I saw how Squall was worried, Cloud. When I came to, I saw his face, he was worried about me." Rinoa was hoping she was good at persuading her seatmate that Squall was her hero that night. "Then, he took me home himself." She concluded, and reminded herself to thank the tall brunette for that. Also she had to ask him about the whole direction dilemma that bothers her.

Nevertheless, she was worried if she did the right thing. Did Squall wanted Cloud to know the whole story? Would he be mad at her if he found out she told his rival that he saved her, helped her and took her home? It doesn't make sense to Rinoa if it will make him mad, but she knew she had to tell Cloud anyway.

The spiky blonde was reflecting upon Rinoa's story, barely focusing on the lesson. Squall helped her, even if he undoubtedly knows Rinoa was from his section. But why would he do that? He has known Squall for almost three years and he never heard of him lend a hand to anyone, especially from 3-B. Of course, there were also those times when they fought, and he would arrive to "defend his classmate". Still, it was clear to both of them that the fights they've gone through had to be done for the sake of the existing resentment between them, not exactly for the sake of other people. Helping someone like Rinoa was a first time for Squall, as far as Cloud knows. And he wonders...

"Hmm..." he muttered again.

"What? What are you thinking?" Rinoa asked.

"Nothing."

His seatmate groaned.

A few minutes after, dismissal came. And the two classmates waved each other goodbye.

"See you around."

"See you."

They were finally back to normal.

* * *

"Hey puberty boy!"

Seifer grabbed Squall's shoulder as they were walking down the corridor. "Why did you fuckin' stop me from having fun with chocobo head?" His voice was stern, but Squall did not answer. The blonde one held Squall's shoulder harder and pushed him to face him.

"I'm talking to you." Seifer pointed at Squall, shaking with anger. But the brunette still did not reply. Instead, he was scowling at Seifer.

"You owe me alot, puberty boy." The blonde's voice threatening.

"I think it's the other way around." Squall retorted as he shoved Seifer's hand off him.

"I owe you for this?" He pointed his index figher at the cut Squall gave his face that night at Tidus' house.

"You had it coming."

"You know it wasn't me, it was-" He stopped. Then he realized something.

"Ooohh..." His mouth emphasized the one-syllable word. He laughed menacingly. "Puberty boy, it was that girl, wasn't it?"

_Rinoa? What does she have to do with this?_

"Ooohh, puberty boy. Hormones kicking in?" Seifer taunted.

"Whatever fuck you mean." Squall turned his back at the tall blonde.

"You know what the fuck I mean." Seifer chuckled. "You were out of the whole scene until I grabbed that stupid girl's hair." The last three words made Squall's blood boil. "She got in my way, as if she can do something. Some weakling she is." Squall slowly turned around, glowering at Seifer with such fury that his stare can summon all the demons from hell.

"And when I grabbed her empty head, was she able to do anything?" Seifer grimaced as he enjoyed the brunette's anger. "She even whimpered..."

Before he can say anything more, Squall charged at him. The first blow he sent to his face was easily dodged by Seifer, who sent the same punch which almost hit Squall. Then, not letting a single moment pass, the blonde one sent his other hand with another quick, strong blow at Squall, who wasn't able to avoid it this time. He almost stumbled to the floor and felt blood flowing down from his forehead, but he quickly regained balance. He then saw Seifer charging at him with another punch, but he stepped aside and easily avoided the attack. He then elbowed his back that sent the blonde down and gave him a hook to his stomach. Then sent another one.

Suddenly, Irvine grabbed Squall, with his elbows hooked upward under the brunette's arms, pulling him away from his opponent, while Zell did the same with Seifer. But the two fighters were struggling to get each other.

"Both of you! Stop it!" Quistis commanded with much authority, enough to make the two stop shaking themselves off from the men who stopped them from fighting. Squall and Seifer glared at each other for a long while before the brunette shoved himself off Irvine, who let him go. Then he walked away.

"Squall!" He heard Selphie call on him

* * *

Rinoa was waiting for her driver Robert at the entrance of her school. He's unusually late today, which made her wonder what happened to him. Also, he did not call nor send her any message to tell her why he didn't arrive on time, which he usually does, until this day.

She figured that maybe she should call him instead, since she's the one waiting for him. Rinoa opened her tote bag and reached for phone. She was about to dial Robert's number, when she realized how much free time she has on her hands.

And that she can use this chance to do one more thing that will make her day complete.

She went back inside and tried to search through the passing crowds heading towards the exit of the building. He wasn't anywhere in sight.

She went to the cafeteria where she first saw him and identified nobody in particular she was looking for.

She took a quick look at the gym and saw no tall brunette there either.

_Where could he be..._ Rinoa frowned, massaging her forehead.

She recalled all the possible corners where he can find him, but she was sure she checked everywhere.

Except one more part of the school.

"The library..."

She ran to the place where she first talked to him and opened the tall door that first greeted her. She let herself in and quickly seeked for the same spot she once saw him reading that Inferno book. She found the shelves, with those same Psychology books she was browsing on that day. But she didn't find him there.

She was beginning to be frantic, and her need to find him was becoming even more eager. Maybe he already went home? But something tells her he's still here at school, and the library is the most possible place she can find him.

She ran from one bookshelf, to the other, only to find nobody. After she reached the end of one side, she began to search towards the other side.

And then, she stopped.

There he was, she finally found Squall, who was sitting on the floor, leaning against a bookshelf beside a wooden door. But this time, his hand was not occupied by a book, rather holding his forehead. Rinoa noticed drops of blood on his white shirt.

He was hurt.

She slowly walked to him, careful that her disruption might anger him. She sat beside him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Squall..." She quietly called.

He slightly turned his head to look at her. He's still mad, about Seifer, and the pain on his forehead. He bowed his head down again.

"Let me see that." Rinoa held his arm and with much care, she pushed them away from his head. There, near his eyebrow, was a deep cut, and there was a trace of blood from it to his cheek.

She took a quick glance at Squall and realized that he's looking at her, and this time, she was closer to those ocean blue eyes. Rinoa turned her attention back to his cut and decided to help him at least clean it up.

"It isn't so bad." She cooed to the brunette. Rinoa reached for the pack of tissue and a bottle of alcohol from her bag, with her back facing Squall and left him wondering what she was doing. Rinoa poured some of the disinfectant on the tissue and turned to Squall. He immediately realized what Rinoa was planning to do the moment he smelled the strong stench of the alcohol.

"We'll just clean it up a bit, okay?" She smiled a him, but it wasn't enough for him to remain calm.

_Alcohol? To clean this up? It makes sense but it's not gonna happen._

He turned his head away from Rinoa's hand, trying to avoid the alcohol-filled tissue.

"Hey! Just... a... bit..." Squall was violently shaking his head away from Rinoa, while she tried to reach the cut on Squall's face. The two were struggling and were near wrestling when Rinoa had enough.

She lightly slapped Squall on his cheek. And it was enough to stun him.

"Stop it! Hold still!" She commanded as she held his face mildly with her free hand and gently patted the tissue that slowly erased the blood on his cheek.

As he closely watched her tend to his cut, his blue eyes examined her round, pale face that he never got so near to until now. Her skin is soft and flawless, not one scratch can be found on it. Then, he looked at her focused brown eyes... they made him feel tranquil and safe. They told him so much why he can trust this girl. It made him wonder if these angelic features are exactly the reasons why he helped her that night, but he never got to see her like this before. There was something more about that night, and maybe with the previous days as well. Something about her fascinates him that pushed him to protect her.

Next, he trailed down to her supple li-

He winced and groaned. Her alcoholed tissue reached his cut.

"Oops! Sorry! I just had to especially clean that up..." She put more alcohol on her tissue, then looked at Squall. Her brown eyes met his blue ones and he let it stay like that.

"This will get hurt a bit, okay?" She warned him before placing the tissue on his cut that instantly burned his skin, and he mewled.

Rinoa, who perfectly understood the pain Squall was going through, wished she could do more to make it less painful for him.

"It's okay," She murmured. "just a bit longer, it's gonna be fine."

Instinctively, she patted the brunette's head for more assurance.

_His hair... feels nice._

The next thing she knew, she was stroking his soft, brown hair. _Maybe it'll help to calm him down._

And Squall let her.

After a few more seconds, she finally removed the tissue from his now clean cut.

"There, looks much better now." She gave him a shy smile, but received no reaction.

She cleaned up the tissue and the alcohol, and packed them all back to her bag.

"Thanks." He murmured to her.

Rinoa turned to him, and gave him another smile. "Anytime."

Then, she remembered.

"Oh! By the way! Thank you about last Saturday! For saving me, for helping me, and for taking me home!" She said each favor while counting them with her fingers.

"No problem." He plainly replied.

"Oh! And..."_ Here goes.._. "did you, by any chance, recognize my home?"

Squall gave her a confusing look then shook his head. "No. Why?"

"Okay." She nodded. "Well, it's just that, I was told everyone knows where my house is." Squall became even more confused.

"How's that?"

"Well," Rinoa took a breath. "I don't know either." She wanted to skip the part that it belongs to her father, General Caraway. "But I just want to know, since you don't recognize it, where you actually live."

"Hmm..." He muttered. _Sometimes, he's just like Cloud_, Rinoa thought.

"Do you actually live here?" She gave him a curious look.

"Not exactly." He looked away from her.

"Is it okay for me to know where exactly?" Rinoa hoped he would tell her.

"It's kind of complicated." Squall was about to place his hand on his forehead again when Rinoa stopped him.

"No! Don't do that! It might bleed again!" She held his arm again away from his head, but this time, her touch made Squall's heart stop for a second. He should be pushing her away, but he wasn't able to do that either.

"Where did you get it anyway?"

One word. "Seifer."

Rinoa eyes narrowed. "You two fought?"

"Yeah."

Rinoa sighed.

Then, she heard her phone vibrated.

"Oh!" _It should be Robert. _"I have to go now!" She quickly picked her bag. "Thank you again!" She waved at Squall before heading to the library's doors.

The overwhelmed Squall could only stare at where she disappeared.

* * *

Rinoa ran as fast as she could to the spot where she previously waited for Robert. True enough, she saw her limousine parked in front, though there's something new about the car's arrival. Right next to it was a man wearing a what seems like a military cloak, leaning on the limousine. He seemed a bit old, and his face was beaming at Rinoa. He also looked very familiar to her.

"Dad?"

Slowly she approached the man to get a closer look.

And she was right.

"Dad!"

She jumped and hugged her father she haven't seen for thirteen years, who put his arms around her. He brushed his fingers through her long, black hair.

"Sorry we were late." He quietly apologized.

This day couldn't get any better.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed the Squinoa moment! ^^


	7. The Wolf's Little Game

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note**: First, I would like to thank everyone who gave me reviews: GreenOpalus for reading and reviewing both my stories, MonMonCandie for not only reading and reviewing, but also for helping me develop Squall's character, for Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly for never failing to read and review my story, and for Cerulean Crystal for reading my story and giving me one long review which also helped me. :3

But most of all, thank you all for not getting tired of reading "The Mr. Arrogants". *hugs*

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. ^^

* * *

Squall and Seifer were entitled with four days of service for the school library, as a punishment given by the Disciplinary Office for the fight they made the day before. Squall, annoyed with the piece of paper in his hand that indicates the time and venue of his 'detention', was sitting on his usual corner at 3-A's classroom. This wasn't the first time he got a detention, though it has been a while before he had one again. The last time was worse, he can still remember how he worked for the Principal's office for two hellish weeks with his then classmate Cloud when they were still in their first year high school. It was hard not to fight with him when they were under much supervision of their school's Principal. He reminded himself that this one he will be having right now should be better, since he'll be working at the library (practically the only place in the school he's fond of) and he'll be with his friend Seifer, who acted like nothing happened the day before.

"How many hours do you have?" Squall's blonde friend who gave him the cut on his forehead, in which he retaliated with by punching Seifer twice on his stomach, asked casually as he sat beside his detention buddy.

"Ten hours." Squall plainly replied.

"Same." Seifer waved the same piece of paper Squall was so irked about. "Whaddya say we just skip lunchbreak to work and get this over with?" The blonde one proposed, obviously not very keen working for the library.

Squall waved his hand in a 'whatever' manner. "Works for me."

"What?!" Zell, who were watching them nervously this whole time, gave the two a confused look. "You were just beating each other up before, and now you were all like buddy buddy as if nothing happened!"

"Chill Zell, you should at least be glad they made up. Besides," his brown haired Irvine, who was sitting in front of Seifer and Squall, took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. "they've always been like that. Fight, then shake it off. Get used to it"

"But there's something else one of them should do." Quistis, who just got in, approached her two friends. Squall and Seifer gave her a muddled look.

"You know I was talking about you, Seifer." She then gave the blonde one a serious stare, accentuating her point.

"What?" Seifer asked.

"Apologize to Rinoa." Quistis replied with much demand in her voice.

"Like hell I'll do that." Seifer, obviously uninterested, looked away from his rosy blonde friend and waved his hand to shake the matter off.

"And like hell I'll forgive you for almost hitting me that night." Quitis crossed her arms at her rebuttal. Seifer frowned at it. She knew Seifer fancies her for quite a long while, though she barely returns the favor. Still, he was being persistent, until Quistis realized that any of her actions against him is his weakness.

"Apologize to her, and I'll forget about it." Quistis attempted to make it as a deal with Seifer.

"Why are you being so insistent about apologizing to 3-B's new girl? Why bother?"

She sighed. "Squall never wanted to involve us in his fight with Cloud, we just got ourselves into it because we're his friends." Quistis sternly explained. "I know we're enemies with Cloud's gang, but it doesn't mean we should involve their other classmates as well, especially Rinoa who tried to protect our friend Selphie, whom you also almost hit, despite knowing that she belongs in 3-A."

Seifer still did not let his eyes reach Quistis'.

"Hey guys! What's the meeting?" Their cheerful brown haired friend who finally arrived, noticed how her friends gathered at Squall's corner, thinking it could be about the fight.

"Squall and Seifer got detention... and Quistis was trying to make Seifer say sorry to Rinoa." Zell lazily oriented Selphie.

"OH! Yeah Seifer! You owe us alot of apology!" She pointed herself, Irvine and Quistis.

"Then SORRY!" Seifer finally faced his friends and reconciled without a hint of sincerity.

"No Seifer! We'll only forgive you if you apologize to Rinoa! She's the one who needs your apology more than we do!" Selphie squealed with demand to Seifer as she bent her face closer to his. Seifer grumbled.

"I'm not gonna do this. Squall?" He turned to his seatmate, hoping that he would back him up. But Squall only looked at him for a few seconds, then turned away.

"Damn you."

"C'mon Seifer!" he felt Selphie's hand grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his chair. He pulled his arm out from her grasp, but Quistis held his shoulder tightly and began pushing him out of the door.

"If the same thing happened to me," Quistis murmured at Seifer. "I know you would like Squall to do the same."

Seifer did not need anymore explanation. He knew exactly what she meant.

He finally gave up struggling as they approached 3-B's classroom.

* * *

Tifa, Rinoa, Yuffie and Yuna were all gathered on the floor near Cloud's chair, playing a game Yuna just introduced to them called "Sphere Break". It was quite a confusing game for Rinoa, especially that it required her to use some of her mathematical skills, which she is quite bad at.

Tifa and Yuffie were so far leading the game, with the shorter haired girl winning.

"Multiple of...." Yuffie, rolling a coin in her hand while thinking of her next move.

"Hurry up Yuffie, you're running out of time!" Tifa reminded her.

Rinoa and Yuna were suspensely watching them, both actually nervous about Yuffie's winning move. Cloud, who was sitting near them, watched them amusingly while his seatmate Zack was also getting tensed with Yuffie.

"Hurry!" Cloud's black haired friend shouted at Yuffie as he began drumming his fists on his desk with anticipation.

Suddenly, they all heard a knocking on their door. They all looked up.

There, standing bravely at 3-B's door, is 3-A's Quistis Trepe.

"May I speak with Rinoa please?" She tried to ask as nicely as possible.

Rinoa turned to her friends and only saw their surprised expression, except for Tifa who was frowning, and Cloud, who was back to his expressionless state while looking out the window.

"Yeah, sure." Rinoa stood up and noticed that Tifa followed suit.

"I'm coming with you." Rinoa sensed the security Tifa wanted to give her when she spoke, immediately understanding how she felt about Quistis' appearance. So she allowed Tifa's accompaniment.

As they approached the door, Rinoa noticed that Quistis has someone else too, and it quite surprised her to see that it was Seifer, while Tifa's frown turned to glare as she did not like what she was seeing. But Quistis remained calm.

"There's nothing to worry about." She assured to Tifa, who was still cautious with the blonde girl. "Seifer here came to say something." Quistis then turned to Seifer. So did the two girls with similarly black hair.

It took a few seconds before Squall's blonde friend finally turned to face them.

"I'm sorry." He said with a hint of sincerity that cost him quite alot of effort.

Tifa's face relaxed, and was surprised to see Rinoa still blankly staring at Seifer. A few seconds have passed and Rinoa has not said anything to Seifer's forced apology. 3-A's blonde brute too seemed to be waiting for the raven haired girl's response, but he wasn't getting anything either. Quistis and Tifa exchanged confused looks.

After what seemed like forever, Seifer figured that nothing's going to happen. He turned around and aimed to head back to his seat beside Squall and his other friends. Then, Rinoa who suddenly got back to her senses, let out a soft "Wait." while trying to reach Seifer with her hand. Quistis noticed it and pulled Seifer back in front of Rinoa and Tifa.

"I'm sorry." Rinoa shook her head and giggled. Seifer got even more annoyed at her for laughing at his apology. But knowing that saying anything wrong to this girl at the wrong place will lead to another fight. He simply gave her an irritated perplexed look.

"It's just that..." Rinoa continued. "It's nothing. What happened was nothing, really." She then met with Seifer's eyes. "I already forgave you before you know it."

Seifer's expression eased. He was taken aback with Rinoa's answer. He did not expect someone like her to forgive him so easily. Then again, she did not even hear what he said the day before that made Squall fight him. Though she might've already expected the worst that can happen behind her back, knowing what she got herself into the moment she became a student of his section's rival class. Still, she took it lightly, brushed it off and moved on. And, just like that, she forgave him.

Now, it was he who wasn't able to respond. Not even a nod. He simply turned around and took off.

Quistis, in behalf of her admirer friend, thanked Rinoa gratefully. She then looked at Tifa, who nodded at her, and surprisingly, she nodded back. For the first time in two years, they were able to communicate without hostility, even through a simple gesture. She then turned and followed Seifer, and for once, was proud and happy for what he did.

A few feet away before they reach inside their classroom, Seifer stopped and waited until Quistis reach his side.

"I like her." He said with a grin. Quistis eyed him curiously. "I know now why Squall punched me in the face."

His blonde company chuckled. "I know."

"Next time," Seifer finally continued walking. "tell him that if he wants to get laid with her, he has my full support."

* * *

Two and a half days have passed since Rinoa last saw Squall, and she was beginning to wonder about his sudden disappearance. She would find herself searching the cafeteria for him, but in vain. However, his whole gang is present at their usual table, except Seifer.

Stangely enough, despite his rival's absence at the cafeteria, Cloud was not present either. Come to think of it, she never saw him spend a minute in the cafeteria, nor his other friends Zack, Reno and Rude.

It was all paid for anyway now that she has a bigger circle of friends she get to spend some time with at lunchbreaks. Ever since that day Seifer came to apologize, Tifa and Yuffie began hanging out with her, along with Rikku and Paine. She found out that Tifa is actually Cloud's childhood friend. Both of them grew up in a small town of Nibelheim, along with another girl.

"I kind of forgot her name, she did not spend much time at Nibelheim with us. I remember though that she has green colored hair. She was kidnapped, and since then, her family went to a far place with her, away from our hometown." Tifa narrated.

Rinoa also found out that shortly after that girl was kidnapped, Cloud started to become silent and shut himself off from the world. "Not even I could get to talk to him." Tifa recalled gloomily. "A few years after, his mother died and nobody was to take him in. The next thing I know, he was outside his house with these other people wearing black suits, carrying his large bag. When I asked him where he was going, he simply told me that he will be brought to an orphanage. I never saw him since. Then, when I came to Deling City to study, I was surprised to see him here, and he's my classmate too! He told me that someone already took him in, but he never said who. I just figured that whoever that person is took good care of him, and I could see it through Cloud."

Tifa ended there. The rest, Rinoa figured, is history.

Yuffie's story was nothing as interesting as Tifa's. She was an orphan, and was brought up by her grandfather, who taught her about many "interestingly sneaky and useful" stuffs. Detecting the privateness of the subject, Rinoa did not bother asking what those things are, and thankfully, nor did Rikku.

Lunchbreaks are especially noisy with Rikku and Yuffie together. They're the life of the group. Often, they'll find themselves arguing about the simplest of things, and in the end, they'll laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

"Wolverines are doggies!" Rikku, debating with Yuffie, smartly stated.

"No, wolverines are actually squirrels!" Yuffie said defensively.

"Wolverines are weasels." Paine cut them in.

"No way!" both of her hyper friends yelled in unison.

"Actually, it's true, they are weasels." Rinoa, who read it somewhere in her father's books, supported Paine.

"Oh..." the two debating girls finally realized they're both wrong.

"Well, I'm close enough with squirrels."

"Nuh uh!"

Rinoa sighed.

Little does she, or anyone in her group know, that Squall was spending his lunch hours and a few more after dismissal, working for the library to speed up the consuming of the required hours that was given to him. With his friend Seifer, he was arranging piles of books to their proper shelves, taking records, all the boring stuffs you do in a library.

Today is the third and final day they will be working for the library. With one hour spent during their lunch break, they were left with only two more hours that they planned to do after dismissal.

"Mr. Almasy, can you put these books at the General Section please?" The librarian, a middle-aged lady wearing thick glasses, pushed a cart of books to Seifer, who obediently took it. The moment he turned his back from the librarian, he rolled his eyes expressing that he doesn't have much choice anyway.

She then turned to Squall. "Mr. Leonhart, please take over the table for 'Returning Books'." Squall doesn't know why the librarian always, ALWAYS, gives him that boring task of receiving books from people who borrowed, record them, and throw them to a pile of other returned books. Moreover, he finds it annoying when girls are returning the books. He'll receive endless giggles, flipping of hair, flirtatious smiles... Attention that he knew Irvine would've loved, but he never asked for.

But, as usual, he had no choice but to oblige.

He sat on the high chair, received books as usual, and wished he wore shades to avoid female students who kept on catching his eyes and giving him amorous glances.

"I heard about your fight with Seifer." A girl with long, brown hair wearing make-up told Squall in a cutesy manner. "Sorry about that." She tried to sound as concern as she could be, but her attempt to flirt with him overpowered it. Squall did not respond and only took the book from her to do the recording. The process was done, but the girl was still standing there, giving him a flirty smile.

_Not again._

"It's okay now." He said plainly, as his way to indirectly shoo the girl.

"Thank you." She winked at him. Squall waited as she walked away and shook his head as he typed on the computer the number and title of the book she just returned.

"Excuse me." A familiar female voice called to him.

Squall looked up, and was startled to see those same angelic features and that long black hair. His annoyed frown began to soften at the sight of her.

"Oh! Squall!" Rinoa, who was just as surprised as Squall is, stared at him with her widened brown eyes.

"Hey." He forced a greeting.

"What are you doing here?" She asked quizzically. Rinoa already knew that the library is the first place she can find Squall if he's not anywhere else, but she never expected to see him at the library's counter.

"Detention. I had to work here." Squall explained.

"Oh." Rinoa nodded. "Was it because of the fight?"

"Yeah." Squall nodded, and she nodded as she understood. What she doesn't know, though, is that the fight was about her, but Squall knew that it's better to stay that way.

"Well, I'm gonna return this book now." Rinoa awkwardly reached a thick, familiar book to Squall. He looked at the number to put it on records, then the title.

'**Basic Psychology**'

He realized that it was the same Psychology book he helped her get from the high bookshelf when he first encountered her. He looked back at Rinoa. She was looking somewhere else, but as soon as she saw Squall looked at her, Rinoa turned to him and gave him a smile.

Of course, Rinoa knew and she felt uneasy at first. But then, she realized there was nothing to be edgy about. _It's just a book_, she thought to herself. _It's just my job to return a book_.

Strangely though, the awkwardness made Rinoa blush a bit. It was more than a mere book to her.

It's funny how she had to return it to the same guy who gave it to her, and she felt uncomfortable about that. Actually, she finds it unusual that she felt uncomfortable anywhere near Squall, and she was afraid that she was getting a bit fidgety, trying to look somewhere else except Squall's eyes right after she gave him the book. She doesn't know why she had to avoid them, she just had to. But as soon as she noticed that he looked at her, she couldn't resist and was absorbed by his gaze.

And as soon as their eyes met, they had a mutual understanding that it was _their_ book.

Then, probably out of her defensive mechanism to protect her from the discomfort of the situation, Rinoa immediately put on a smile.

"Is it okay now?" She suddenly blurted out, completely ruining the short moment.

Squall looked away and nodded. "Yeah, it's okay now."

After thanking Squall, Rinoa turned around and walked out of the library, like always.

* * *

The next day...

"Odin and Yojimbo are the same!"

"No they're not! Odin has a horse and Yojimbo has a dog!"

Yuffie and Rikku were arguing again on their way to the cafeteria, over the distinction between the two dieties.

"They only differ in looks and animals, but they have almost the same attack." Yuna said, in an attempt to end their another pointless argument.

"You guys go ahead and buy some food. We'll go reserve a table." Tifa told Rinoa and Yuna as she and the others headed for their usual table.

"How did you know about that?" Rinoa was ineterested how Yuna know so much about the heavenly figures.

"Well, I learned them back in Besaid. I studied the teachings of Yevon, the aeons known as the guardian forces, the fayth and-" Her eyes suddenly darted away from Rinoa and suddenly wore a surprised look. "Cloud!"

"Cloud?" Rinoa got confused.

"Yeah, Cloud! Cloud's here!" Yuna uttered excitedly.

"Really?" Rinoa turned to her left.

"Yeah." She heard a familiar voice answered. And as soon as she did, she saw everyone stared at her inquisitively. She knew before she turned to her other side that it belongs to no other person.

"Cloud!" Rinoa was quite surprised to see him in the cafeteria, and he's just right beside her too. He seemed to be glowering at something. Rinoa turned to see who or what it was, and realized that Cloud was looking at his brunette rival's direction.

"What are you buying?" Cloud suddenly asked as his curious light blue eyes turned and scanned the foods arranged in a line in front of them. The two other girls exchanged muddled glances.

"Err..." Rinoa turned to look at the available foods. "Maybe the chicken or the spaghetti..."

"Two of those please." Cloud pointed at the big plate full of fried chicken parts and another big plate full of spaghetti pasta.

Rinoa eyed him suspisciously. "What are you doing?"

* * *

Squall was sitting at his usual table with his friends, staring at his untouched mashed potato. He was a bit hoping that he'd see Rinoa anytime soon in the cafeteria and was slightly glad when he finally did. He watched her as she entered with Tidus' girlfriend, with a blonde one, and with some other girls he recognized from 3-B. He kept on observing Rinoa as she and the Besaid girl were separated from the rest of the group, who went to their usual table and sat on their chairs. Then, the moment he turned back at Rinoa, he saw an annoying sight.

Cloud was there, beside Rinoa, buying his lunch with her.

_What the hell is he doing here..._

His instincts told him to get up and leave, like he always does when he sees Cloud enter the same territory he's in. But seeing Cloud beside Rinoa and talking to her is a different case.

"Yo Squall! Cloud's here!" Zell pointed at his friend's blonde rival. _Thank you Captain Obvious._

_

* * *

  
_

"One hundred gil." The cashier told Cloud.

Rinoa was rummaging her bag for her wallet when Cloud suddenly reached his hand to the lady behind the counter and handed her a hundred gil.

"Thank you." The cashier said before Cloud and Rinoa walked away.

"You paid for my lunch?" the raven haired one asked curiously.

"Yeah." Cloud nodded as he focused on their way to the table.

"Thank you." Rinoa gratefully said.

Cloud suddenly stopped. "Where's your table?"

"Right there, with Tifa and the others."

"Okay."

Everyone, except Yuna who joined her friends before Rinoa and Cloud arrived, was surprised to see 3-B's blonde leader. Even Paine, who gave Cloud a confused look, was startled at his arrival. They all stopped from what they're doing and stared at the pair who just came to join them.

Tifa was the first to speak. "Cloud, what a surprise!"

Cloud didn't reply and simply sat beside her. Rinoa followed and sat beside Yuna, across the strange, mysterious blonde.

"Glad you could join us!" Yuffie greeted Cloud, with a tone that demanded for an explanation. But Cloud did not look at her, nor replied. Not one was brave enough to ask of his presence, especially after seeing that he has not removed the frown on his face.

"Uhm..." Rinoa muttered. "Is something wrong, Cloud?"

"No. I just want to join you, that's all." He lied, but the usual plainess in his voice masked it.

"Oh..." Rinoa knew there's something wrong, but it's no use trying to get him to spill it. Not now anyway.

* * *

"Uh... Squall?" Quistis called to her brunette friend worriedly, who was sending deadly glares at the blonde guy sitting across Rinoa. His presence was enough to piss him off, but seeing him sit and eat with Rinoa brought him unexplainable fury that he showed through bending a spoon... with his hand.

"Dude, you okay?" Zell asked as he anxiously watched the poor spoon in Squall's hand.

"You can... let go of the spoon now." Selphie nervously told Squall.

Squall just knew Cloud was up to something. That blonde head knows he often spends his lunchbreak at the cafeteria, which is why Cloud barely sees the place. Never did they eat "together" at the cafeteria, until now. Moreover, Cloud acted as if Squall's a threat to his section's newcomer, shooting lethal glances at Squall, letting him know he's the reason why he's here.

"So, what are you gonna do about it, Squall?" Seifer chillingly asked his brunette friend.

"Nothing." Squall stubbornly answered as he returned to his mashed potato.

* * *

At the far back corner of the cafeteria, where people barely look, stood Zack and Irvine. They have been watching their friends exchanging glares ever since Cloud arrived at the cafeteria.

"Squall's getting pretty mad." Irvine observed.

"I know. Can't blame Cloud, he's just the protective type." Cloud's best friend shrugged.

"So you did tell him about what Seifer saw at the library yesterday." Irvine wasn't innocent with the issue. After Seifer told him what happened at the library when Rinoa went to return a book, he picked up his phone the first chance he got and told Zack, knowing it's a news he must know about.

Zack nodded with a michievous smile. He could still remember how Cloud reacted when he heard. At first, he didn't mind, but when he told him about the part when Squall actually talked to Rinoa whilst he never did with the other girls, as well as what Seifer have observed how Squall looked at Rinoa, it made Cloud pretty miffed. "I thought it might help."

Irvine grinned. "Well, it might, but with what's happening right now, we still have to see."

Zack shook his head. "Cloud's not jealous of Squall, if that's what you think. As far as I know, he still has not seen Rinoa _that_ way."

The brown haired one only nodded intriguingly, as if saying 'we'll see'. He then turned to Squall's direction. "Actually, I'm pretty sure my Squall here is the jealous one." Irvine's grin got even wider. "That spoon in his hand showed it all."

"Yeah, first time I've seen him mad like that."

"So do I with Cloud."

Zack snickered, so did Irvine. The scene in front of them right now was the first time for everyone, even to Cloud and Squall. And it interests them, especially how the new girl, Rinoa, was able to change almost everything the moment she arrived at Deling High. They were hoping for the best, and they wish, more than anything, for the fight to end. They see Rinoa as their only ticket to it.

"Hey buddy," Irvine nudged at Zack. "tell me, how long 'til this stops?"

Zack turned to the table where Cloud was eating with Rinoa and her friends. Curiously, he observed Rinoa and smiled. "Soon, my friend. Soon."

* * *

**A/N**: Everyone who wants Cloud, shout "KWEH!". Everyone who wants Squall, shout "ROAR!".

:3


	8. The Prince of Esthar

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** *argh*... Squinoa... moments... almost... there...

This is a long chapter, mostly emphasizing how the rivalry affects Rinoa. So, where are the real Squinoa moments? Hmm? Hmm? HMM???

There will be more (MANY MOOORREEE) of those in the near future, so just hang on there! :3

Thank you for everyone who never gets tired of reading my story and giving me reviews!

* * *

It went on like that for Rinoa during lunchbreaks for another couple of days. Cloud would buy her lunch, sit with her along with Yuna and the others, and send glares to Squall... though the glaring part lessened a bit each day. It was more like he would try and ignore Squall and simply let him know that he's there, right beside Rinoa. Even Cloud wasn't sure of what he was doing, but he did know that he doesn't like how his rival acts around Rinoa. He doesn't like him, and his resentment has not died down one bit against Squall, even if he owes him for helping Rinoa once. That was it, he helped her once, but then he acted quite strangely to her, he treated her differently from other people. Cloud knew well that Squall was just being nice, too nice actually.

And he doesn't like it.

But most of all, he doesn't like where this can possibly lead to.

Despite the strange habit Cloud was keeping up for himself during the past two days, no one, not even his best friend Zack, dared to ask him what he was trying to do.

Squall on the other hand, who has been sitting on the opposite side of the cafeteria all this time, would obviously be pissed at Cloud. He has always been furious of every part of Cloud's being, but at least he was doing something to avoid fighting him in every way possible, and he credited himself for that. He was convinced that his blonde rival owes him for that too, unless he wanted this fight to carry on. But sadly, with what Cloud was doing, Squall figured that he didn't care if they remain as enemies for the rest of their lives.

_Then so be it._

At any rate, Cloud's rival decided to play his little game and stay at the cafeteria no matter what. Squall knew that the blonde head's presence did not only mean he can't get anywhere near Rinoa, but it was also his cue to leave the place. And he's definitely not going to do that.

Rinoa, the girl in the middle, the reason of it all, was being haunted by the endless feeling of awkwardness. Part of her wanted to approach Squall, apologize and tell him that she doesn't know what was going on either. But with Cloud never leaving her side, she knew she couldn't even take a single glance of Squall. The other part of her told her not to do anything and simply let Cloud do his thing. After all, what's so wrong about eating with him during lunchbreaks? He is her friend. And as much right as she has to spend her lunch hour at the cafeteria, he does too.

But Squall is also her friend, as far as she's concerned. And maybe that's the problem, she's good friends with Cloud's rival. It practically tells her to choose one side; her section's Alpha who took good care of he all this time, or 3-A's brunette leader whom she encountered quite several times and showed her nothing but kindness. That's what made her so uncomfortable. Everyday, all she could think of was how she could help put the rivalry to an end. It was bad, the fight between those two egotistic people had always been bad, and she is now more than involved.

Not only that.

Now Rinoa also has to deal with the rumors spreading about her and Cloud. Everyone at school thought they're dating, which is big. Cloud is an inexplicable person, and the idea of him going out with someone is somewhere close to a miracle. Rinoa became an intriguing subject too, being a new girl and all. And in an instant, she became a special item to everyone, the person known as "Cloud's girl". It shouldn't be such a big deal to Rinoa, especially that it isn't true. But the deadly stares she got everyday from girls (and some *ahem*, boys) who she assumed adore Cloud quite worry her. Just because she was often seen beside Cloud, it didn't mean that she's his girlfriend or anything like that. Somehow, she just knew that the reason why Cloud does what he was doing has something to do with Squall becoming closer to her. And she wished she could tell everyone that she was just a girl that accidentally got caught up in the middle of a deep rivalry.

And the only way for all of it to end is when those two finally decided to call a truce.

Rinoa sighed deeply at the book she had been attempting read for over an hour, yet couldn't get off from the same page. She thought being in her father's company at the study room will help distract herself from the problem she has at school, but it proved otherwise. It will stick with her and she wouldn't be able to escape it no matter what she does. She knew she could solve it, it's not like she has to bring peace between two fighting countries. It may be a war between two people, and it should just be a simple thing. Rinoa reminded herself that it wouldn't be too hard to find a way to end it.

_But how? _

General Caraway, who was on his desk filing reports, noticed Rinoa's endless sighing. At first, he was worried that she might have already been hyperventilating, but when he asked her if she was doing okay, she said she's fine and gave him a reassuring smile. After a while, she was doing it again and so he finally decided to check her out. He went closer to the golden couch where his daughter was sitting and observed how she was staring at the same picture of a gizzard on the book she was holding for an hour. He knew she has not flipped the page yet, he saw that same illustration when he gave a short glance at the book as soon as Rinoa opened it an hour ago. Something must be bothering her, the General thought.

Rinoa's father sat down next to his troubled daughter and put his arm around her in comfort.

"Sweetheart, is something wrong?" He asked gently, trying to hide the worry in his tone.

Rinoa looked up at him with her mother's brown eyes and shook her head. "No Dad, I'm fine." She put on a smile, but it wasn't enough to convince the General. He rubbed her arm and shook her slightly.

"Come now Love, tell Daddy what's wrong, and I promise I'll pay you with ice cream." He said in a playful voice.

Rinoa giggled. Her father knew that ice cream is her weakness, and she would do anything for a scoop. She knew instantly that he was getting a bit worried about her and she should tell him. "Well, it's about two of my friends." She thought for a moment if she should go on with the details, but decided to skip that part and get on with the real problem. "They happen to be rivals. When I first arrived, another friend of mine told me about them, but I thought, there's nothing wrong to befriend both, right? So they became my friends, good friends actually." She paused and thought of Cloud, the protective, helpful type who has always been there for her. He cares alot about her, no doubt, and she feels safe and nice around him. Many were afraid to approach him, but there really isn't much to be scared about. As tough as he looks, he's quite a gentle person. Rinoa recalled how he tirelessly helped her with Psychology, how he brought her home himself that one rainy day, how he charged at 3-A's room when he heard about what Seifer did to her at Tidus' party, how he was obviously keeping her away from Squall during lunchbreaks... though she should be annoyed about the last part, she still found it sweet of Cloud to buy her lunch and eat with her at the cafeteria regardless of his enemy's presence. She reminded herself to talk to him about it, but she figured that whatever reason he has, it's probably a justifiable one.

Then, there's that cold, taciturn Squall, who surprised her in many ways. He annoys her with his stubborn nature, and the funny thing is, she happens to be a stubborn one too. In the end, it's either he or she would give in, just like what happened in the library a week ago when she cleaned his cut. She could still remember how both of them struggled before she can get her tissue to touch his wound, and all it took her was a slap on his face to make him stop and surrender to her tenacity. She had not thought of the possibility that he might fight back and hurt her, and all that mattered was that he didn't. There was also that part when she stroke his hair with comfort, and Rinoa was quite shocked when he didn't pull away. He simply let her touch him, without any sign of restraint. Somehow, Rinoa felt she should be uncomfortable with him especially with the lofty air he brings. Not to mention, he's the leader of her section's rival, the main enemy. But there was something between them, something unexplainable that she didn't even see in Cloud. It's like a connection that she never wanted to break, and the memory of how his deep blue eyes looked at her told Rinoa that she didn't want to lose him despite being the Squall he is. Not that she wanted to lose Cloud either, she never did. Even if she sometimes can't explain that mysterious blonde, she can't imagine herself losing someone as special as him.

If only she could keep both of them, it will make her more than happy.

"Then... what happened?" Rinoa was lost in her thoughts when her only confidante at the moment mildly snapped her back to reality.

"Well, nothing much happened. I just... want them to stop fighting. I mean, it is getting hard for me, especially me." Rinoa tilted her head slightly as she looked at her father to emphasize her part of the story. "And, with the way things are happening right now, I feel like I had to choose just one between the two of them. And I don't want that, I want to keep them both."

The General, who have never been good at things like this, took in a deep sigh as he absorbed all his daughter's admission. It was just a simple problem that everyone around his age should already know the answer to. In the battles he had been through, fights like these were settled through either two things; peaceful and professional negotiation, or the bloody game of war. But what his daughter was dealing with is a different kind of battle, a particularly hard and complicated one. It doesn't need negotiation nor fighting, it needs something less technical but a bit more difficult tactic.

"Well, sweetheart, you're not supposed to take sides." He paused for a little while and gathered his thoughts. "If both are your good friends, then both should be the nice, good ones. Neither of them is wrong, nor the bad one. Whatever reason they have for their rivalry is to be kept among themselves, leaving you out of their conflict." He noticed Rinoa sigh again. "But, if you've gone far enough to be involved, then the most you can do is talk to them and try to understand them. Then, in turn, tell them how their fight affects you. Maybe you can also play as their bridge and help them get in touch with each other."

General Caraway stared as his daughter thoughtfully. He had no confidence with his advice, but he very much hoped it helped Rinoa.

The raven haired thought of the same thing before, though neither she thought it would work. But hearing those encouraging words from her father, she thought she'll give it a try. Rinoa was pretty sure it won't make the matter any worse, and there's nothing to lose if she does talk to Squall and Cloud.

_Right?_

She stared back to her father and gave him a grateful look.

"Thanks Daddy."

Rinoa's father rubbed his daughter's back for the final time and gave her a comforting smile. He stood up and was heading back to his desk when he remembered something.

"Oh, by the way," he turned around and faced Rinoa. "we were invited to a dinner tomorrow at Esthar by the President, Laguna Loire. It would be nice if you'll prepare yourself with something formal to wear."

"Oh." Rinoa looked back down to her book. "I... I don't really have anything."

The General frowned and shook his head. "Nothing to worry Sweetheart. I'll give you nine thousand gil..." He took out his wallet and handed Rinoa the thick bills. "so you can buy everything you want and need."

Rinoa's jaw dropped at the large cash in her hands. She stared at it for a while, and before her father can sit back to his desk, she threw herself to him and pecked him on his cheek. "Thank you Daddy!"

"Anytime Love, anytime."

* * *

That was her mission, to have some serious conversations with Squall and Cloud. And she planned to do it as soon as she can.

The next day, Rinoa decided to confront Cloud first, probably during lunchbreak. Then Squall, if she can get the chance to corner him again at the library after dismissal.

_Hyne, why give me this problem?_

Lunchbreak has never been so difficult for Rinoa. Lining up to pay the cashier for their foods with Cloud beside her made Rinoa's heart beat twice as fast. She was nervous, she has never done anything like this before and neither did she wish she ever had to. She didn't even know what to tell Cloud that she wanted their rivalry to end without sounding too selfish. But it was getting out of hand, and she knew it's about time she tries to do something about it.

Before reaching the cashier, Rinoa patted Cloud's shoulder. She noticed that they felt harder than normal ones. _Are those muscles?_

Cloud turned to her. "Yup?"

"Let's go sit somewhere away from the others. I want to talk to you about something."

Rinoa was expecting another frown, or some resistance in which she could already forsee herself doing some more convincing. So she was quite surprised when Cloud simply nodded without any second thoughts.

_Okay, great!,_ Rinoa thought to herself.

Cloud took their tray and followed Rinoa, who spotted a smaller table, perfect for two people. After they sat down and fixed their platters among themselves, Rinoa waited for a short while before she started to speak.

"Cloud, I've been wondering for quite a while now, about why you suddenly decided to come here at the cafeteria and eat with us, which I heard you never did before." She paused and sat up. "I mean, you never even set foot here before, except if Squall is not around." She asked the blonde before her, who started with his lasagna. He didn't stop to look at Rinoa, he just keep slicing his lunch.

"I just don't like how Squall was acting around you lately." He replied.

"What do you mean? I don't see anything wrong with him."

"No. And that's the problem. There's suspisciously nothing wrong with him."

"Cloud, what made you think that? I've encountered him quite a few times, and he never did anything bad to me, nor did I see him do anything unreasonably bad to anyone."

Cloud finally dropped his fork and knife, then turned his head to look at his black haired companion. "Even so, I simply don't trust him."

"Well, obviously." Rinoa crossed her arms.

Cloud shook his head. "If you're thinking that this about our rivalry, then maybe you're right. But it doesn't exist for nothing. There are many reasons why we don't trust each other, why I don't trust him. Reasons that does not only involve me, but other people as well. Squall is a cold person, and no one knows to what extent that goes. Sure, he helped you that night, but it may also mean he needed you for something else in return. He may use you for whatever intention he has, and what can make it worse is that you're from 3-B, classmate of the person he despises. Then again, I don't read minds, and I may be wrong. Still, I don't trust him enough to believe that he meant well in everything that he does."

There was a pause. Cloud waited for Rinoa's reply, while she took her time to absorb what he just said. Rinoa thought for a moment. Squall is a good person, and she was sure about that. _Was._ But after what Cloud had said, she realized that it could be possible, that Squall may be doing the things he did so she would trust him enough to do whatever he asks of her. But then, she may be wrong, and even Cloud admitted that he may be wrong. He was just trying to protect her from any possibilities like that.

"I see." Was all she could reply. After all, that's what she was intending to do, right? To know why Cloud's doing this. Then, she remembered something else she should do.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I feel happy that I have someone like you care for me this much." _I feel flattered even._ She saw Cloud's sky blue eyes turned attentively to her. She hesitated to carry on at first, but she decided to finished what she has already started. "But, I don't like what your fight with Squall is doing to me. Whatever intention he has in his mind, as far as I know, he's also my friend, though not as close one as you are to me. And because of that, I'm having a hard time keeping you both in my circle of friends, especially with what you're doing now." Rinoa saw the pain in his blue eyes, and she felt her guilt-stricken words melt her heart. "I mean, yeah, I get you with what you're trying to do, but it would make me feel alot better if the reason why you're doing this is because you wanted to casually join me for lunch, and not because you wanted to act like my bodyguard to protect me from Squall."

Cloud looked back to his plate and contemplated for a moment. Rinoa watched him as she waited for his response.

"Sorry." He finally said. "I just had to do this, even if I know it might make you feel this way. But, if I simply let things happen without doing anything, I won't be able to forgive myself."

Rinoa gave him a sympathetic look. She understood what he meant. He was just scared that something might happen to her, and it would be his fault because it's his job to keep Rinoa away from all the troubles of the rivalry.

But Rinoa wanted him to know that there's nothing to be worried about.

She reached her hand to his and took it. Her blonde lunchmate was startled at her gesture, so she patted it to show him that she meant it in a friendly way.

"Don't worry Cloud, I will be okay. That I can promise you." She smiled reassuringly.

Cloud stared at her brown eyes to search for more affirmation. Then, he finally nodded.

_Well, that's settled it with Cloud. Now I only have one more person on my list..._

_

* * *

_

He saw everything as the turn of event unfolded before his eyes. He was sitting at his usual spot, as far away as possible from where his rival is. Squall have seen the same scene for three times; Cloud buying lunch with Rinoa, paying for the food, carrying their tray to Rinoa's usual table and eat together. The first time bothered him, even angered him. But this time around, it went on differently, and so did his feelings.

Instead of sitting with that Besaid girl and Rinoa's other friends, they took a table for just the two of them. Squall was sure his friends noticed it too, but he didn't turn his eyes away from the scene. He kept watching the girl he always encountered in the library with that blonde bastard.

Rinoa talked first, and as she gave Cloud a worriesome look. The blonde one did not look up to her in response, he just kept on slicing his food. She then kept shooting him with more questions, and he finally looked at her. He didn't look annoyed, Squall could read the sincerity in his face as he seems to be explaining something to Rinoa. After listening to him, she stopped for a moment and talked to him again. Cloud's eyes looked more serious this time, and Squall could hardly guess what Rinoa was telling him, and he was itching to know, until his blonde rival looked back to his plate, looking all sorry and said something.

Suddenly, Rinoa took his hand.

Squall was stunned at what he saw, and indignation panged at him. His heart stopped beating for quite a few seconds, though it seemed like forever to him. It felt tortured by his sense of sight and presupposition, that those two people he had been watching were going out of the boundaries of simple friendship.

He looked away. He couldn't stand another second of the scene. He couldn't look at them anymore.

* * *

It bothered Rinoa to noticed that Squall was constantly ignoring her. After lunchbreak, she accidently passed by him at the corridors, and she knew he saw her. But he kept walking and acted like she's invisible. She was only thankful that nobody else noticed. After Psychology class, she decided to head to the library, hoping to find him there and talk to him. Well, she did find him at the usual isolated part of the library. He was sitting there while reading a book, but as soon as he saw her, he stood up and walked away. She tried to catch him, but he was too fast for her.

She was in her room, putting on the short black dress she bought for the dinner she and her father will be attending that night at Esthar. Rinoa wondered at first about how they will be able to travel to a place as far as Esthar, to which the General simply replied "By an airship."

After combing her hair and strapping on her shoes, Rinoa decided that she's all set. She climbed downstairs and met her father by the porch of the house.

"Sweetheart, you look beautiful!" General Caraway complimented as he spread his arms wide to his daughter.

Rinoa giggled at him. "Where's our airship?"

"Oh," Her father placed his arms down and put them on his back. "we don't have an airship, Kiros and Ward will arrive with it to pick us up."

"Kiros and Ward?"

"Yes, they're Laguna's close friends and loyal advisers."

"Oh." Rinoa felt embarrased for thinking that her dad owns an airship.

A few seconds later, they heard a screeching sound of engine just outside the house.

"Well, sounds like they're here." General Caraway smiled to his daughter and extended his arm to the door. Rinoa opened it and was greeted by a big, red airship. Rinoa gasped at the sight of it, as excitement overshadowed her major problem on that day.

Two men walked out of the airship; the slimmer one has darker skin and long black locks tied up at the back of his head, while the other one is as twice as large as his company, wearing a bandana and a recognizable scar on his face.

"General!" The thinner one called as he and his companion were walking towards the father and daughter.

"Kiros!" General Caraway greeted back.

"It's a pleasure for you to join us tonight, as usual." Kiros gave the General a sincere smile. Then, he nodded at Rinoa.

"Oh, Kiros, as promised to Laguna, I'll be bringing my daughter Rinoa with me."

"Ah, so this is Rinoa." Kiros extended his hand to her for a formal handshake.

"Good evening Sir Kiros." Rinoa shyly took his hand and shook it.

"Pleasure, my dear." He looked at her father. "He looks so much like Julia."

The General chuckled. "Fortunately she does. Her mother is a beauty."

Kiros nodded. "She is."

The larger one, whom Rinoa assumed is Ward, gently put his large hand on Kiros' shoulder, who looked up at him. Then, he nodded.

"Well, if you two are ready, we can now board the ship and head to Esthar. Our dinner is waiting for us." Kiros said with a smile.

"Yes, of course. Come Rinoa." General Caraway put his arm around Rinoa and lead her inside the airship.

* * *

The interior was huge, much larger than Rinoa had expected, and was even dazzled by the magnificent passengers room surrounded by glass windows that gave Rinoa a chance to watch the sceneries as they pass them by. Kiros mentioned that the name given to the ship it was "Ragnarok", and the only one that never needed a fuel. It was ran by a self-recharging battery source, which was invented by a mad scientist. He mentioned the name, but Rinoa didn't catch it. She had enough hearing unusual names for that day.

After around twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the futuristic city of Esthar. Roads were overpasses, and vehicles were floating circular plates that slides through a tube. She can barely see plants or anything green. But she did see alot of tall buildings.

Rinoa suddenly felt the airship slowly moved to its landing and ultimately stopped. Kiros stood up from his seat. "Well, here we are."

They headed to the entrance of a building, a bit smaller compared to the other ones around it. But as soon as they entered, she was mistaken. The small building that she saw outside was just the entrace part of the whole place. It was alot bigger inside, and it was then she realized that the President's place was actually a palace. And even the palace was highly advanced in technology. Though the floor was carpeted, it has automatic sliding doors and see-through elevators. Even the furnitures inside looked modern.

"Caraway!" A man with tied long black hair suddenly appeared from one of the sliding doors, with arms extended to Rinoa's father.

"Loire! It is nice to see you again!"

The man let out a hearty laugh. "It had been a long while since we last saw each other!" He then turned to Rinoa. A small smile formed on his lips. "This must be your pretty daughter."

"Ah, yes Laguna. This is my daughter, Rinoa."

Rinoa blushed a the compliment given to her by the man, who she assumed was the President of Esthar.

"It's an honor to meet you Sir Laguna." Rinoa bowed to her father's friend.

"Oh! Please, no no no, no bowing!" Laguna held Rinoa's shoulder's and pulled her up gently. "And please, remove the 'Sir', just call me Uncle Laguna!" Esthar's President raised a thumb and pointed it to his chest.

Rinoa let out a soft giggle. "Okay Uncle Laguna."

"As always, make yourselves at home!"

Kiros cleared his throat. "Laguna, I believe our guests are hungry."

"OH! Yes yes, I'm sorry." Laguna scratched the back of his neck in embarassment. "To the dining hall we go!"

They all followed Laguna as he went through one of the sliding doors on the right side of the room.

The dining hall was a plain one, though the lenghty table was pleasingly decorated with foods on the table. Rinoa noticed how there were so much dishes served, enough to feed one whole army.

"Please, take a seat." Laguna gestured at them as he sat at a chair placed at the end of the long table. He then looked around, as if looking for someone.

"Your son said he'll be joining us in a few minutes." Kiros plainly said.

"Ah..." Laguna gave out a sheepish smile. "Well, can't let our guests wait too long, can we? C'mon now, gobble up! Don't be shy, just eat... whatever! Use your bare hands if you want!"

Rinoa picked up her spoon and scanned all the foods in front of her. They all look tasty and she wondered which one to take first.

Suddenly, they all heard the sliding door open and the sound footsteps approaching the table. Rinoa turned her head to see who just came in.

And froze on her seat.

Tall guy, brown hair, familiar deep blue eyes, scar on his face...

Squall entered the room in a semi-formal clothing. He was wearing gray button up shirt with its long sleeve folded halfway, matched with a black pair of pants. His eyes were fixed on the host for that night.

"Well, Squall my boy, come eat with us!"

_Squall... Laguna's son?_

Rinoa's schoolmate turned to General Caraway. "I'm sorry to be late, Sir. There was a task I had to attend to."

The General waved the matter off with his hands. "Don't worry about it. Come join us!"

Squall then looked at the girl beside the General.

And that same girl looked back at him.

Both were shocked to see each other.

Their fathers looked at them questioningly.

"You two... know each other?" Rinoa's father asked.

"Ah, they might be classmates or something." Laguna chuckled.

Rinoa was still staring at Squall. _Squall is here. Laguna called him 'my boy'. He's Laguna's son. He lives in Esthar. He's the son of the President of Esthar?_

Squall was the first to break the staring contest he was having with Rinoa and turned to her father. "She's a schoolmate of mine at Deling High."

General Caraway nodded. "You study at Deling High?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Hmm... how do I put this." Laguna began massaging his chin. "Well, he didn't want to study here at Esthar. Besides, it would be a wrong idea for him to learn with so much gizmos and technology. We decided that it would be better for him to enter a more normal and traditional school. And the best one around is Deling High."

Squall walked around the table and sat by his father, while Rinoa's eyes followed him.

"Well, that's good to know! You have a friend with us tonight!" The General rubbed his daughter's back, who in turn gave him a shy smile.

Throughout the whole dinner, laughs and stories were heard among the four men, while the two teenagers were silently eating their food. Rinoa would take glances of Squall once in a while, but he never looked at her. He only looked at his food and the people around him; General Caraway, Laguna, Kiros, Ward, the maid... to anyone, but Rinoa.

And it was getting annoying for her.

She wondered what she did wrong to him. She replayed everything in her head, and so far, none of those memories told her of a single possibility that he'll think badly of her. She was tempted to ask him a question, anything, in front of the four old men and she knew he won't ignore answering her. But she decided not to, with the fear that she might just embarrass herself.

"Lica," Laguna beckoned on the nearest maid. "would you be a dear and bring us some of those booze?"

Shortly after, Lica returned with three bottles of wine, and poured some on each wine glass on the table. Rinoa stared at her glass, hoping that it would be alright for her not to drink it before she gets another allergy attack. And for a split second that she didn't notice, Squall gave her a worried look.

Laguna stood from his chair and raised his glass to a toast. "To the youngsters among us!"

Everyone else followed suit. All of them gulped the wine down from their glasses, except Rinoa who put hers down the table. She thanked Hyne that nobody noticed.

Shortly after, the four old men were getting drunk, almost finishing the two bottles served to them. They seem to be enjoying themselves so much to realize that Squall excused himself and stood up from his seat. Rinoa did as well and followed Squall.

Outside the dining hall was alot more silent, and only the clicking of their shoes can be heard. Squall knew Rinoa was right behind him, but he didn't turn around to look at her, nor to stop her. But the raven haired girl didn't care, she was more than determined to corner him and talk to him.

She followed him as they passed the lobby and the huge living room. Rinoa could swear that she's getting tired from walking in his huge house, or palace.

Squall then entered a room, and with the fear that he might lock it, Rinoa ran her way as fast as she can to get inside, with success.

Rinoa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before facing Squall. They seem to be at a small library, since she noticed that they're surrounded by books. Her presence was very much obvious to Squall, but he didn't stop to look at her. Instead, he swiftly took a book from a shelf and sat on a nearby couch.

"Okay Squall, what's your big idea?" Rinoa demanded. But she didn't get any response.

She waited for another moment to pass. "Squaaaall?" She called again, raising her tone on the last letters, but he still ignored her. And she have had it.

Rinoa walked in front of him and pulled his book off his hand. Still, Squall didn't look at her. Instead, he stood up and about to walk away.

"No!" Rinoa held him and pushed him back to the couch. "Sit!"

That got Squall. He obeyed and he finally looked up at her, as if saying 'You happy now?'

Rinoa pointed her trembling index finger at him. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Squall looked at her for a while. "I don't want to have anything to do with you or Cloud."

"What..." Rinoa was clearly confused. "What did you mean by that?"

"If Cloud found out that I'm speaking to his girlfriend right now, we'll just fight again."

"Girlfr- what?! I'm not Cloud's girlfriend!"

"Yeah, whatever. Just leave me alone." Squall turned his head away and waved his hand.

"No! Not before hearing what your problem is!"

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Alright, then that only means I'm never leaving you alone."

"Why are you annoying me like this?" Squall sat up and looked at Rinoa in her brown eyes. "Why don't you just follow Cloud like a dog instead, like you usually do?"

Rinoa was shocked at his words, and so was Squall. _Follow him? Like a dog? I never did that._

"I never did that!" Rinoa's voice was near sobbing.

"Of course you don't." Squall retorted sarcastically.

"No, you don't know!" Her eyes were beginning to get wet with tears. "You don't understand! None of you people do! For the last time, we're not dating!" Rinoa burried her face to her hands and sat on the couch next to Squall, who tried not to take in the painful sight of Rinoa crying.

It took a few moments before Rinoa said anything again. "If this is about what was happening at the cafeteria lately, then you're wrong." She said each word between sobs. "Cloud was eating with me because he wanted to protect me from you. Because he doesn't trust you." She gave out another set of sobs then looked at Squall. She hesitated to say the following words, but since she was already being honest, she decided to get through with it. "He noticed how you're being too friendly to me, and he thought that you have other intentions other than just being nice to me." She shook her head slightly. "I can't blame him. I know you're his rival and all, that's why he tends to think like that." She squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled at the sad thoughts of it. "I just wish... for this rivalry to end." She began to say her piece. "It's getting really hard for me... to see two of my friends fight."

Squall sighed. "I'm not your friend."

"I may not be to you, but you are to me." She shot him with a painful look from her brown eyes and stared at his deep blue ones to stress her honesty to the statement. "To me, you're a good friend I never wanted to lose."

Squall stared back at her. Part of him was glad to hear that she thought of him as a friend, and that was at least enough for him to forgive her.

"I want to keep you both as my friends. But with what you two are doing right now, you're not even giving each other a chance to reconcil-"

"No." Squall cut her. "No way am I going to make up with him."

Rinoa knew she can't force anymore of her opinion on him and stayed silent as she let out a few more sobs and wiped her tears with her hands.

Squall wasn't getting any more uncomfortable with the silence. With Rinoa crying because of him while he said nothing very nice all this time, he didn't know what to do next. It was hard for him to fight the urge of rubbing her back with comfort.

"Oh..." He suddenly heard Rinoa's soft voice.

Squall turned to the only company he has in that room, only to see her holding a book in her hands, the same one that occupied his free time.

"You read the Purgatorio too." The brunette saw a small smile formed on the girl's face.

"Yeah." Squall turned his head away again... sheepishly.

"So, you took my advice, huh." Rinoa turned to look at Squall.

"Yeah. You told me you like it, so I figured it should be nice." The young master of the house replied. He didn't dare tell her that the reason why he began reading it is simply because she likes the whole divine comedy, so he wanted to know more about it.

Rinoa giggled, and Squall was surprised by her sudden recovery. "How do you find it so far?"

Squall shrugged. "It's fine."

Rinoa saw a folded page in the book, and guessed that it could be the mark of the part he's up to. She flipped it open.

"Hmm..." Rinoa murmured amusingly as she ran her fingers through the page. Squall stopped himself from smiling while watching her.

She turned back to him. "You're getting there." She said as she got herself locked in his deep blue stare, while he stared back at her brown ones.

He wanted to tell her not to look at him that way, but there really isn't any reason why. He knew he couldn't resist her.

He closed his eyes and looked away from her.

"I don't trust Cloud either." He decided to start explaining at least. "I hate him, every part of him ticks me off. But," He looked down to his lap. "I didn't want this rivalry. I want to do something and end it, not simply accept that it's just there."

Rinoa looked at him as she listened. And while she tried to think of something to reply, she gently closed the book in her hands. She then stood up, walked in front of the brunette, and kneeled to get a good look at his face. Squall saw Rinoa and glanced at her. "Then let's do it together! Help me end it, and I'll help you with Cloud. It would be great if you two become friends, though you don't exactly have to be. But to end the fighting is a good step forward."

He hoped that she would take his hand too, like what she did with Cloud, and pat it. But she didn't.

She, on the other hand, wanted to take his hand, but was hesitant because it might make Squall mad for being touched. After all, she doesn't know him that much.

Squall looked at her with his plain eyes. He did not show any sign of anger or doubtfulness, and thought about Rinoa's idea.

He knew it won't work. It never will. But he couldn't let Rinoa down either.

Squall recalled what Rinoa told him about the book '**Inferno**' back at the school library.

"_...__it's better to go through Purgatory's punishments than remain in Hell forever."_

Yes, he wanted the rivalry to end, but it would be hard in his part. It would also mean declaring peace with Cloud, which would require him to swallow up his pride. He also knew that it's always better to do something about it as early as now before it gets any worse, to the point that it can never be fixed anymore.

He thought he was facing this fight all alone, even if he has his friends to help him. All this time, he thought he was alone, until Rinoa came along. Someone who would risk anything, even her pride, just to chase him and tell him that she too wanted their little feud to end. Of all people, she who gave him a strange feeling of tranquility everytime...

_Like now._

Rinoa was an enough reason for him to fix things with Cloud. That, Squall was sure about, at least.


	9. Family Friends

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** Did you think that there are no following events after the dinner from the previous chapter? NO WAY. Of course there's still more! This chapter fills in some (if not most) things about Squall's life. As usual, thank for for everyone who tirelessly read each chapter of my story and for those who gave me reviews. :3

And, as usual, I hope that you'll like this one. ^^

* * *

Rinoa didn't press on Squall to answer her question (or proposal), which the brunette was grateful for. After waiting for his reply, which never came, she decided to re-read her favorite parts from the book '**Purgatorio**', leaving Squall with no other choice but to read the book he grabbed earlier before his confrontation with the guest's daughter.

Squall was still reflecting on what Rinoa told him, and he was sure for himself that there is no guarantee that he would be able to do such a big thing she asked from him. He would try, of course, but he knew his limits very well, and there's a big chance that he wouldn't be able to do it. Years of rivalry doesn't end so easily.

There was also that guilt in Squall when his tactless words made Rinoa cry. He didn't mean it, It wasn't logic that made him say that. And it was strange for him, because every word that comes out of his mouth has always been logical. But that one time, just thirty minutes ago with this girl, it was simply... different.

And he felt bad that it didn't turn out too well.

For half an hour, they waited together for their fathers to arrived, which will mark the conclusion of the dinner (and the drinking). But it was getting late, and Rinoa was becoming sleepy. She tried to stay up with as much effort as she could, for she knew that falling asleep as a guest at another house or place would be rude. Until her heavy eyes already gave in.

Suddenly, Squall felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned around and first saw the black locks of Rinoa's hair. Then, he looked at her face, to see if she was still awake and just messing around with him, or if she really was asleep. But it seemed to be the latter one.

He hesitated for a moment and thought about pushing her back up, away from his shoulder. But her peaceful face was too much to disturb, and so he decided to let her sleep on him. It was a foreign feeling for Squall, that someone would rest her head on him, as if depending on him or counting on him. Though he was usually reluctant, for once in his life he let someone to be that close to him. And it was strange that it had to be Rinoa, his rival's acquaintance, when he has never done the same with his other closer friends like Quistis or Selphie.

He stared at her for another moment, careful to do any sudden moves that might wake her up. Squall wished that she would stir up and turn to the other side of the couch instead, but it didn't happen, or was never going to happen. He leaned closer, to get a better look at Rinoa's face, curious of how asleep she really was. But it were those same serene features that met him, which were tempting enough for him... to sleep as well.

Squall's eyes slowly closed, as he felt his cheek rest at the side, on something warmer than the couch.

His head was leaning peacefully on Rinoa's head.

If someone, who didn't know any better, would look at them, he or she will think that they are a couple who fell into a slumber while on their date. That was what Squall saw in him short dream.

* * *

"Sir?" A female voice called.

Squall frowned and grumbled as he turned his head up in response, extremely irritated for being disturbed.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but please wake up."

The reluctant young master slowly opened his blue eyes and saw their maid Lica standing before him.

"Dinner's over, Sir, and everyone is drunk."

"Mmm..." Squall mumbled. "mmmeven General Caraway?"

"Especially General Caraway."

Of course. Everytime his father invites the General, they would always end up getting drunk.

"And as usual, so are Sir Kiros and Sir Ward. They won't be able to fly our guests to their home tonight."

_Stupid old men._

Squall turned to his side. There, Rinoa was still peacefully sleeping on his shoulder, unaware that her father just forgot all about her.

So this would mean the usual sleepover again, with General Caraway and Rinoa staying at Laguna's palace for the night, since riding the Ragnarok to go back is a bad idea. Flying is never good for drunk people.

The brunette was itching to stretch his arms, but it would disturb the girl leaning on him. Then again, he would wake her up anyway, but he planned to do it properly. So instead, he inhaled deeply to take in more oxygen his body needed, which used to be the purpose of a yawn. But Squall never yawns.

"Well," He finally began as he faced the maid. "as usual, help them up to their rooms. I'll take care of Rinoa."

"Very well." Lica bowed to Squall and left the library.

Squall turned to Rinoa and thought of a good way to wake her up. She isn't like Quistis or Selphie who he can just shout at to wake up. He felt like he had to be careful with the girl resting on him, but he had no idea how. He tried to recall how people usually wake other people up in movies, but the only way he could think about was shaking, which he thought should work well, better than shouting anyway.

Slowly, he put an arm around Rinoa and shook her slightly. "Rinoa..." His deep voice whispered, as mildly as possible.

Rinoa grumbled. Squall waited a few seconds until she finally sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was an unusual sight to him, and he found it quite endearing. Then, as soon as he noticed Rinoa turn to look at his hand which was still on her arm, he pulled it away. She then turned her head to Squall and looked at him with her half closed, dark brown eyes.

"Are we going home now?" Rinoa mumbled.

Squall shook his head. "No. You're staying here for the night."

The black haired frowned. "Why?" she asked in a slightly surprised tone.

"Your dad got drunk, and things might get worse if we fly you back to Deling."

"Oh." Rinoa finally nodded. She completely understood. "But, I didn't bring any clothes for tonight."

"There are extra ones in each room for ours guests. You don't have to worry about that."

She nodded again and rubbed her eyes once more. "Okay."

Squall stood up and faced her. "I'll take you to your room."

Rinoa looked up to him and nodded. She then weakly stood up and followed Squall as they, once again, passed by the wide rooms and reached the lobby where an elevator was waiting for them. As they went inside, Rinoa instantly leant against the elevator railing while she let Squall operate the machine.

Then, she remembered something.

"What about school?" It's still Wednesday, a school night.

"I'll wake you up early tomorrow and bring you back to Deling." Squall replied without facing her.

"How?"

"Ragnarok."

"Oh. You can fly that airship?"

"Yes."

"Is that how you go to school everyday?"

"Yes."

"But I've never seen it land on school grounds."

Squall was getting tired of answering and thought about staying silent. Still, he went on anyway.

"There's a car I always bring with me. I land the Ragnarok outside Deling and then use my car to drive my way to school."

Rinoa's eyes widened in amazement. _This guy could do anything_, she thought. _He can rule the world if he wanted to._

The elevator stopped with 'ding' and the two of them walked out. Rinoa watched in awe as they passed the widest and longest hallway she has ever seen in her life. Large sliding metal doors were lined up, which she assumed are the entrances to bedrooms.

Squall's job was to choose a guest room for Rinoa, and he found it, right beside his own private sanctuary.

He stopped in front of it and turned to Rinoa.

"This is where I'm staying?" She asked as she looked back at Squall. He nodded.

Rinoa stepped into the sliding door as Squall watched it open her bedroom for the night. Then, he saw her turn around to him and gave him a faint smile.

"Well, thank you. And goodnight." She nodded at him, then the door closed.

Squall stood still for another moment.

"I'm sorry." He finally apologized, for the hurtful things he said at the library, for he truly never meant them. But she couldn't hear him anymore.

"And goodnight."

* * *

It took Rinoa about twenty minutes to find the bathroom inside the ridiculously large bedroom, and another thirty minutes trying to figure out the buttons inside the shower room. After she freshened up a bit, she wrapped herself with a towel and searched the closet for the extra clothes Squall told her about.

But found none.

Rinoa searched all the cabinets and drawers, but found no clothing or anything like it either.

_Great._

She looked for a phone, forgetting that the place she was staying at is not a hotel. She found one, but there was no operator. There was only the usual dial tone.

She walked outside, hoping to find a maid and ask for help. But the hallway was eerily empty and quiet, except for a noise which sounded like coming from the room right beside hers.

She assumed that it should be her father's room, since it was only right for her to think that this hall contains all the guest rooms in the palace. Also, it would only be appropriate that she was to be located beside her dad, in case of emergency.

Like now.

Rinoa didn't care if her father was drunk, she desperately needs help to find some clothing.

She stepped in front of the door, thinking that it's locked, and was about to knock...

When it suddenly opened...

And the occupant was definitely not her dad.

There, standing between the television and the bed, wearing only a wrapped towel to cover the lower half part of his body, exposing his other muscular upper half, was the same person who lead Rinoa to her room.

"AAAH!"

"AAAAAH!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Rinoa gave another last shriek before she ran to her side and leaned against a wall, which prompted the door to finally close. She didn't expect, not one bit, that Squall would be the owner of the room beside hers. And she went at a bad time too, bad time for both of them. He seemed to have just gone out of the shower, just like her.

She heard his door open again and ran to her room, but was halted by the call of his low voice.

"What do you want?" Squall asked demandingly.

Slowly, Rinoa turned around, holding the only piece of clothing she has tightly.

"Uhm..." She felt herself blushing to see that he has not put on any clothing yet either, other than the towel that conceals the most sensitive part of his body.

"I don't have clothes."

_Wait, that didn't sound right._

"No! Uh-" Rinoa then shook her head to get her mind back straight from the distraction of his well trimmed body. "The-the-there are no clothes in my room." She manage to correct herself as she tried to avert her eyes from the godly figure before her.

"Hmm..." Squall muttered before returning to his room. Rinoa was taken aback and found it quite rude of him to suddenly leave her alone just like that. She was about to head back to her room when she heard his door open again.

"Here." Squall tossed a pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt, both of which Rinoa assumed to be his.

"Thank you." The black haired smiled, trying not to look at Squall's still bare torso.

Squall waved his hands, as if telling her it was nothing before stepping back inside his room.

* * *

The shorts were a bit too big on Rinoa, and so was the shirt, nevertheless, manageable. After all, they are better than nothing.

She stared at herself in front of a mirror for a moment. It was funny, how she was wearing the clothings of Squall Leonhart; one of the most prominent figures at school (besides Cloud) and the son of Esthar's figurehead.

_I wonder how this smells like._

She grabbed the collar and sniffed it. It smelled like men's perfume, which somehow reminded her of Cloud.

Rinoa giggled. "Those two smell just the same."

And yet they are rivals.

She jumped to her bed and closed her eyes, reminding herself how sleepy she was an hour ago. But she couldn't bring herself to dreamland.

Rinoa turned on the wide screen television and flicked through every channel, hoping that it will make her dizzy enough. Still, she couldn't sleep.

"Argh!"

Rinoa sighed deeply. She looked outside her long, narrow window, which showed the illuminating technological city of Esthar. It was tempting to go outside and get some fresh air, which was hardly believable from a not so environmental place.

The raven haired guest stepped outside of her room, to see that the hallway was still lit. She thought about using the elevator and give herself a tour of the palace, but there was a big risk that she might get lost. She then decided to check out each room along the hallway, starting from the one located at the other end.

She opened it, and it looked alot like her room, only empty and untouched. Rinoa inspected the cabinet and saw white human clothing, properly folded.

She grumbled. "How unlucky can I get?"

She moved on to the next room and found the exact same thing.

For the nth time, Rinoa sighed. She wasn't getting any sleepier, and she was bored.

She resolved on heading back to her room and give herself a final try to sleep.

As usual, the door automatically slid open, though it looked a bit different.

It was the usual neat room, but it was definitely not her room.

Worse, it seemed occupied.

There were more things scattered and more furnitures. For one, there was a couch, just right beside the window. Also, books, papers and a huge opened box were scattered on the floor. The bedsheets too were crumpled, and the owner's leg and arm were hanging on the edge of the bed, almost touching the floor. Rinoa froze when she saw the person's dark brown hair.

Rinoa panicked a little. For the second time that night, she invaded Squall's personal space. Though she made progress, and she wasn't as scared as she was when they first encountered each other. But then, that was different, they were at the library, a public place.

_So this is where the lion sleeps_. Rinoa's lips formed into a small smile_. It even smells like him._

The raven haired girl turned around to leave, but felt sorry for Squall's uncomfortable sleeping position. Also, she was curious how he looks like when he sleeps, and she knew it wouldn't hurt to know. Rinoa gathered a bit more of her courage she can muster and approached the dozing brunette.

He was lying on his chest, his comforter barely covering his body (_finally with clothing, thank Hyne_). His right arm and leg were hanging on the side of the bed, and his face was resting against his cheek, half exposing his soothing face. Rinoa bent down to take a good look at him, and smiled at the rare sight of a relaxed Squall.

_He looks like a baby when he sleeps._

The intruder of the room gently pushed the brunette's leg back to his bed, then proceeded with his arm. She pulled the comforter to Squall and tucked him in it.

_There, much better._

She took her time to check on him again, thankful that he didn't wake up. She turned around to the door again and walked to her exit.

Then, something caught her eye.

There was that box she noticed earlier, one of the things lying on the floor. It was opened, completely exposing a considerably huge and long silver sword with a strange handle. It looked like a long revolver, with a handle like a gun's grip panel, complete with a hammer, the cylinder, and even the trigger! It was only different with the front side. Instead of the usual barrel where the bullet shoots out, it was a long wide blade. Rinoa also noticed an engraved lion on it, which made it look more like a legendary weapon.

_I wonder what this is. _

She examined the whole box and noticed a name engraved on the lid.

"Squall Leonhart: Gunblade"

_Whoah... so this is a gunblade._

Rinoa has read and heard of gunblades, though it was said that it is a rare and hard to learn weapon, which made only a few people know how to use it. She never knew she would eventually see an actual one, let alone encounter someone who can really use it.

She stood by the box for another while, simply watching the gunblade, as if it would sprung out of the box and show her some action at any moment. It was enticing to glide her hand over the blade, just so she would know what it felt like, but she was worried that it might trigger some trouble, like a genie would appear or something.

Then, she remembered what Paine told her about Squall's worst fight with Cloud. They used swords and badly hurt each other. Rinoa wondered if this was the same sword Squall used in his duel with Cloud. And if it was, then Cloud should be wielding an equally good and huge sword as well.

After getting one last look at the weapon, she headed out of the door and walked into her own room. She hopped to her bed, closed her eyes and dreamt of a legendary knight in a shining armor.

* * *

"Wake up."

Rinoa groaned as she felt a hand shaking her arm. Slowly, she opened her drowsy eyes to take a look at the source of the low, commanding voice.

"Get up." He repeated.

"Squall?" Rinoa recognized his usual brown hair and blue stare.

"I'm bringing you back to Deling, so get up. Now. I don't want to be late for school."

The groggy girl remembered. She does have school that day, and she barely got some sleep from her last night's attack of insomnia. She nodded as she hesitantly rised from her bed and sat up. Squall, who was already in his school uniform plus a brown leather jacket, was leaning against a wall by her side, his hands inside his pocket. He looked impatient.

Rinoa searched the room for a clock, to at least know what time it is, but couldn't find any. Knowing how this place can be pretty unpredictable, it should be hidden somewhere, but she couldn't be bothered exploring the whole place for it. She looked out the window and saw the light purple sky, barely showing the sun.

_It should still be early in the morning._

"Please hurry up." The brunnete said in a crabby voice.

Rinoa scowled at him and finally leapt out of her bed. Then, she suddenly realized that she wasn't really in her best clothing when she felt her shirt's wide collar slightly dropped, exposing most part of her small shoulder to her schoolmate's azure gaze.

Squall, who suddenly felt uneasy with the sight, took off his jacket and reached it to Rinoa as he shut his eyes and turned his head away from her.

Rinoa let out a small gasp and fixed the loose shirt on her. Then, she awkwardly took the jacket from the brunette's grasp.

"Thanks."

"Let's go." Squall tried to remain cool as he turned around and walked out the bedroom.

* * *

Rinoa watched in wonderment as Squall pressed a few a few buttons to exact the coordinates of their destination, and the Ragnarok flew by itself. There were only the two of them inside the ship. General Caraway was supposed to be with with, but Squall thought it would be best if he rests a bit more at Esthar. Rinoa asked how, to which Squall simply replied that Ragnarok will fly itself back to the palace.

_Really, he can do ANYTHING._

Both of them were at the main panel room, and it was awfully quiet. Squall was sitting on the pilot's chair, while Rinoa was sitting beside him. It was making Rinoa too uncomfortable and she felt she had to say something, a 'thank you' at least.

"Uhm, Squall?"

The brunette turned to her.

"Thanks for everything." She gave him a thankful smile.

Squall just looked at her, with his usual expressionless blue stare. Rinoa turned her head away and looked through the view outside the glass windows, which they were passing by at a very fast pace.

"Hmmm..." She began again. "why didn't your dad wanted you to study in Esthar? I mean..." She didn't want to sound like she didn't want Squall in Deling High, but it made her wonder if Laguna didn't trust the education system of the land he's ruling over. "is something wrong with Esthar schools?"

By this point, Squall has returned to focus on the same view before him. "No. There's nothing wrong with them."

"Then..."

"People from Esthar wanted equally advanced technology for education, to the degre that it's pointless to go to school anymore." He paused. "My father tried to convince them that traditional schools are still best, but the people weren't willing to relegate, they wanted their schools the way they are now. So my dad, afraid that I might become as dependent on technology as those people, sent me to Deling High."

Rinoa stared at him for another moment. Schools with as much technology as the city, then they should have almost everything! _Uncle Laguna must be crazy_, she thought. _Deling High is surely nothing compared to Esthar schools._

_But, fathers know best, I guess._

"But," She carried on. "if you were to choose, between studying to Esthar and Deling High, where would you rather study?"

Squall glanced at her. Nobody ever asked him that kind of question before, not even his own dad who decided everything on his own. And not once did he ever give much thought about it. Where indeed would he choose to study?

"Deling High, I guess." After all, that's where he ended up studying in the end.

"Why?" She asked eagerly.

It was a hard question for him. "I don't know." He honestly doesn't. "I've had fun at that school. I think that's enough." He had been having even more fun lately actually. Then, he thought about Cloud. Pissing him off was what makes Squall most happy. There is no Cloud back at Esthar, only at Deling High.

Rinoa giggled. "I guess you're right."

It wasn't long before they arrived at Deling City. Squall landed the airship outside Deling, as usual, which Rinoa found strange since Kiros and Ward were able to land it at the huge lawn in front of her house. Unless Squall would be mean this time and drop her to school at such a ragged state.

"Wait, aren't we going to my house first?" She asked alarmingly.

"We are." His answer relieved Rinoa.

"Then, why didn't you park at my house?"

Squall turned his head to her. "Do you want a huge airship blocking your house the entire time you're at school?"

Rinoa was about to answer, but she knew it's pointless. She sighed. "Fine."

Squall stood up from the pilot seat and walked to the open lift. Rinoa followed.

Once they were at the lower floor, both headed to a huge room near the ship's exit ramp where Squall's car was hidden. It was the first time Rinoa got a good look at his car. It wasn't a floating one, unlike what was usually seen in Esthar. This one looks more normal, and it got wheels. It was small, with only two doors and two chairs. It looked more like a sports car, and the black finishing made it look even more sleek.

Rinoa stared at it for a moment, overly impressed. And as soon as Squall walked beside it, the car looked immensely cooler, as if it was made exclusively for Squall.

The brunette was about to open the car's door when he saw Rinoa froze on her position, jaw dropped.

"Are you coming or not?" He asked in his low, irritable voice.

* * *

It took them roughly twenty minutes to reach Rinoa's mansion, to Rinoa's relief. _Finally, home._

No one greeted them, like Caraway's maids and butlers usually do. Rinoa figured that they must still be sleeping, at this early time in the morning. She turned to Squall.

"Well, everyone else is sleeping, so.." She said shyly. "just, make yourself at home, okay? I'll be back in a few." Rinoa ran upstairs to her room.

Squall, who was left alone downstairs, sat at the nearest couch. After fifteen minutes of waiting, he finally heard Rinoa's footsteps from the staircase. She was already in her uniform underneath her sky blue jacket, carrying a yellow tote bag and a Squall's leather coat. She then appraoched the couch where the brunette was waiting for her. She landed her bag on the floor and tossed the leather jacket to Squall, who instantly wore it over his uniform.

"I'll just go grab some breakfast." Rinoa said as she ran to the kitchen without looking at Squall. A few minutes later, she came back, holding two wrapped sandwiches.

She then handed one to Squall. "Here, this one's for you. It's peanut butter and jelly sandwich." Squall took it. "I'm sorry if it's not that good, it was the fastest one I can do." Rinoa timidly said. She then went to reach for her bag, but before she could, Squall grabbed it and carried it with his grip, being the gentleman he is.

"Uhm... you don't really have to-"

"It's fine." The brunette cut her. "Let's go."

* * *

They finally reached the school grounds, and Rinoa was more nervous than ever before. She was riding Squall's car, and there was no other way out of it but to get out of his car. She looked a Squall and was jealous that there was no sign of tension in him.

"I hope everyone doesn't mind." She shifted uneasily on her seat. "I hope they'll think that I just casually shared a ride with you."

"No, they will mind." He replied, and Rinoa was quite surprised that he actually gave some thought about it. "But there's no other choice. Just act as normal as you can."

And he was right, the moment they stepped out of the car, they were surrounded by the sound of murmurs and whispers. Also, Rinoa received even more dagger looks from alot of people that would've instantly killed her if only looks can kill.

Squall cooly slung his black backpack to his shoulder as he pushed the driver's door closed. Rinoa did the same with her side, and waited until Squall has walked at a considerable distance from her. She then followed and headed to her classroom, as she endured the deadly stares that will no doubt lead to even more and worse rumors.

* * *

Squall entered 3-A's classroom and quickly headed straight to his usual chair. There was an annonced quiz for that day, but he wasn't able to review as much as he should due to the dinner that was held at his home last night. He opened his bag, about to seize his notebook when he saw the sandwich Rinoa gave him, reminding Squall that he still had to eat it. But he wasn't exactly hungry, and neither was he fond of peanut butter or jam. He reached for his notebook and began reviewing.

"Yo Squall!" Zell suddenly yelled behind him and sat beside the studying brunette. "Heard about the rumors spreading. Are you finally dating Rinoa? For real? Honestly that was the only thing we're all waiting fo- YOU BROUGHT BREAKFAST!" The tatoo faced blonde had his eyes suddenly fixed on the sandwich lying inside Squall's bag. He grabbed it. "Can I have it, plea-"

"NO!" Squall growled and snatched the sandwich from his hungry friend. He opened the wrapper and furiously took a bite as he returned to his notebook.

"Whoops, sorry. Someone's REALLY grumpy today."

* * *

Rinoa was sitting on her chair when she began eating her own sandwich while waiting for the teacher to arrive. Beside her was Yuna who began telling her of the plans she and Tidus have for the weekend, which was actually a good distraction from being the hot item for the day.

"Tidus will bring me to his hometown Zanarkand and introduce me to his parents! I thought it's too soon but I'm still glad that he'll do it. It only meant that he likes me that much, right?"

The raven haired girl, who was listening intently, nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for you Yuna!" She excitedly said with a wide smile.

"Thank you!" The brown haired girl replied with an equally wide smile.

"Hey, look who's here." A cheerful voice greeted. Rinoa looked at the owner of it and saw Zack who sat in front of her. He leaned closer to the black haired girl. "I heard you came in with Leonhart." He said in a hushed voice and smirked.

"Please, don't remind her anymore." Yuna pleaded softly.

"Well, it was nothing, really. I was just a friendly drive here, since we just found out that our dad are actually good friends." Rinoa hoped she was able to defend herself well.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Zack waved his hands, as if telling Rinoa that it was nothing.

"Yeah. Cloud might get mad." The black haired girl retorted sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

Zack chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Besides, he won't be arriving until lunchbreak."

_He's not here? Until lunchbreak? He can do that?_ Rinoa gave Zack a puzzled look. "Why?"

Cloud's best friend shrugged. "I dunno, he just said he had to do something or... something. So the good news is, you really have nothing to worry about until lunchbreak. You can explain and talk to him then. But I'll do what I can." He winked.

Rinoa's expression relaxed, glad that she can rely on someone who can at least handle Cloud. The only thing she had to worry about was the possibility the rumors might reach Cloud before he arrives to school.

* * *

As Rinoa entered the cafeteria with her friends, she searched the whole place for Cloud, and found him nowhere. She sighed in relief.

"Hey, we'll get our table, okay?" Tifa gestured at Yuna and Rinoa, who both nodded in response. They then walked towards the line of people buying their lunches. Yuna, who was standing before Rinoa in the line, turned to check on her friend. Then suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise and she gasped.

Rinoa shot her a confusing look, and noticed that her friend wasn't directly looking at her. She was looking at something behind her. She turned around and was shocked to see Squall standing right beside her, which almost caused her to drop her tray. He was looking at her, then his eyes shifted to her food.

"Is that what you're having?" He directly asked.

"Uhm, yeah." She replied as relaxed as she can. "Are you buying your lunch too?"

"No, I already had mine." He replied. "I just came to pay for your lunch."

"What for?" Rinoa gave him a doubtful look.

"I owe you for the breakfast you gave me this morning." Squall looked at her intently with his cerulean eyes.

_Oh, that's right. _Rinoa thought._ I never thought he'd eat it._

"It was nothing, really." Rinoa smiled at him. Then she searched around her for any sign of Cloud. "You should go away from me now, before Cloud arrives and sees you."

"Uhm, Rinoa-" Yuna tensely called behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Rinoa suddenly heard that familiar, angry voice, that belongs to no one but the last person Rinoa wanted to see that day.

She turned to the source of the voice and saw Cloud on her other side.

"Cloud! Uhm-"

Before she could say more, she froze on her place when she saw the blonde's immesurably furious glare that was directly meant for his rival, who was standing at the other side of the poor raven head.

She wasn't metaphorically caught up in the middle anymore, she WAS literally caught in the middle, as she stood between the two rivals.

Squall gave him an equally fatal glare. "I'm here to buy her lunch, is there a problem with that?"

"That's what I do."

"Then maybe it's my turn."

"Since when?"

"Ever since you were in your mother's womb."

Crowds were gathered around them, and there were some smart enough to leave the place, in case a big commotion happens. Through the gathered people, Rinoa could see Irvine and Zell approaching and Zack squeezing his way to the scene as he called Cloud's name. But they were too late to stop whatever fight will ensue, for the two rivals have already grown beastly intentions to rip each other's throat.

And interfering is not a choice anymore.

There will be a fight, definitely. It's not like the fight Cloud almost had with Seifer a week ago. This time, it is a fight between Cloud and Squall, and there's no stopping it.

"Rinoa!" Squall's rose blonde friend Quistis appeared from the crowd, also distressed about the upcoming fight.

"Quistis, get Rinoa out of here." Squall sternly ordered, his threatening look still fixed on his blonde rival. Quistis quickly obliged and pulled Rinoa to her. She also beckoned at Yuna, who was still standing by Cloud, to step out of the scene.

"C'mon. I'll take you to your friends." Quistis gently told Rinoa.

_Hyne, please._ Rinoa pleaded to the entity above. _Please, don't let there be a fight. I beg of you, please..._

_

* * *

_**A/N:** A fight? :3_  
_


	10. The Fight She Had To See

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the entire series.

**Author's Note:** I'm soooo sorry that it took me a while to update. I really am. Always, I give myself a deadline for every chapter, but I had a few problems with this one. First, attending school and submitting requirements slowed me down. Second, I am really really bad with fighting sequences. I took Cerulean Crystal's advice and watched Advent Children (for the 11th time, woohoo! XD) and took some ideas from there. I also watched Kung Fu Panda, which was on television, and inspired myself with some good action moves. :3

Also, why the short chapter? I plan many things to happen in this story, so I thought it's better to chop them off and not bombard you guys with alot of things in one any case, I sill do hope you do enjoy this one anyway. ^_^

Oh, and by the way, I want to **thank everyone** who read my story and gave me some reviews. They helped me alot to inspire and improve my story (which I hope I did successfully. ^^)

* * *

"Cloud,"

Zack , who finally managed to squeeze himself out from the crowd, stood at a safe distance from his raging friend. "c'mon man, you don't have to do this..."

"Take Rinoa from Trepe." Cloud dictated to him warningly.

The agitated Zack knew he couldn't do anything more. Cloud had always listened to him, and he had always supported his blonde friend. He knew him well, and the battle Cloud had gotten himself into was inevitable. This situation had demanded him to step out of the way.

Zack shook his head and turned to a stunned Quistis, who was holding Rinoa by her shoulders. He knew Rinoa should be safe with Squall's friend, and so did Cloud. The strict instruction given was out of pride, that he didn't need any help from his rival's section

"There's no need for that." Squall's low voice shot back. It brought chills down Rinoa's spine.

"Cloud, please." The girl in the middle began pleadingly, tears beginning to form in her eyes out of fear. But Cloud did not look at her. "I gave him a sandwich and he jus-"

"Stay away from her."Cloud growled at the manacing brunette.

"Make me!" Squall yelled in reply. Too quickly, before Cloud can even blink, he grabbed the nearest food tray and swung it to Cloud, but the blonde's reflexes were just as fast and avoided the attack by dashing away from his enemy. He landed on his knees several feet away from Squall, and luckily found a long, metal tube. He clutched it tightly in his hands and ran with great speed towards his rival, who was disconcerted by Cloud's sudden discovery of a weapon. With the tray as the only shield he had, Squall held it in front of him, in time to defend himself from the charging blonde who swayed the bar, aiming at the brunette's head.

Squall pushed himself away as he jumped from Cloud and perched beside a chair with metal legs. He threw the tray away and picked the chair up as soon as he saw the storming Cloud, who was holding the bar above his head for another strong attack. With two hands, the brunette gathered all the strength he can muster and poured it to each of the chair's legs, which blocked the blonde's steel. With endless clanging of metals, the two sparred with Cloud surprisingly having the advantage, despite wielding a single bar against the chair's four. Ultimately, he swung a vigorous blow that threw the chair away from Squall's grasp and pushed him to the ground. But the brunette didn't give up. He quickly dismembered one leg from the chair and then stood up to face the approaching Cloud. They sparred again, which felt easier and lighter for Squall.

And then, possibly out of the momentum he had with the chair, Squall swung his metal bar to Cloud, so powerfully that it heaved the blonde to midair and his weapon flew far away from his hands. The brunette took advantage of the opening and ran as fast as he could to charge at the unarmed Cloud, who quickly broke one of the metals legs from a nearby chair and blocked Squall's assault.

They crossed swords (or bars) again, though this time equal in strength and in weapon, but Cloud knew he would never win that way. He darted away from Squall and jumped by the metal bar he was weilding earlier. He picked it up with his free hand before he ran towards an even annoyed Squall. Despite having one bar against two, Squal still managed to block Cloud's attacks.

Finally, the blonde's enemy decided he won't be playing fair anymore. He blocked Cloud's left hand with his only weapon as he raised his right leg with a kick at Cloud's torso and pushed himself up in the air. Then, he targetted Cloud's chin and kicked it with his other foot. Cloud staggered from Squall's strike and fell on his back as Squall cartwheeled his way in midair to his safe landing on the floor.

But before he can prepare himself, the raging Cloud threw one of his bars to Squall, who successfully blocked it with his own weapon. But the impact was so strong it dragged him further away. Furious, he growled dangerously and charged at Cloud.

But someone else had enough.

Suddenly, plates with food were thrown to the dueling rivals, who were shocked with the unexpected intereference. They halted with their fight with a long pause and removed the plates from their heads. Squall had mashed potato on the half part of his face, and he had to swipe it all off to see clearly with his eyes. Cloud had long spaghetti strands hanging on his spiky hair, with the sauce staining his head and face.

As the two rivals removed the food on their faces, they searched for the person who threw it at them. But it didn't take them too long to look for Rinoa, who was standing in front of the crowd, breathing fumingly at the sight of their fight.

During their entire confrontation, while the crowds were cheering loudly at the two fighters, Rinoa was screaming for them to stop. But none of those were heard by the two combating enemies. She became desperate and took two plates and hurled those at them instead. She knew that if she didn't do that, the brawl would've gotten longer.

Rinoa glared at both of them, with the most lethal yet that stunned both Squall and Cloud. She would've said 'Stop it you two!' but she already did that for them, though non-verbally. She thought of stronger words to say.

"If you two think I'm judging everything with a fight, then you're wrong." She growled. "I'm on nobody's side! I HATE BOTH OF YOU!"

She stormed out of the cafeteria's swinging door, that gave her a more welcoming exit.

* * *

Her feet didn't stop walking, her heart told her never to stop while her mind asked where in the part of the school she was. One thing Rinoa knew was she needed hell of a long time to be alone, to think and to calm herself down. She didn't like the idea of fighting over her, especially with two of her friends. It has always been her dilemma. She thought she was done with her part when she talked to both of them and let them know what she thought about their rivalry. She thought Cloud's nod told her that he would trust Squall more. She thought Squall's explanation back at his house clearly told her that he too, wanted this whole feud to end. But what happened now did not prove any of those. Rinoa's hope, which had reached the highest level that the chance of the two making up will be possible, suddenly fell back down to ground zero.

_They're idiots_, she tried to convince herself. _They don't know what they're doing. They're only leaking with pride and arrogance, that's why they fought._

And she couldn't stand those kind of people.

Rinoa had been walking for quite a long while, she figured she probably had reached the farthest and most hidden part of the school, shunning her away from the rest of the world. Offices and storage rooms surrounded her, but she has yet to see one person in that area. She went to a corner of the dead end and sat on the floor. She hugged her kneews and buried her face between them as she began to sob.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."

Rinoa heard a female voice tautingly said. She raised her head and saw three female students standing in front of her. They were all menacingly grinning down on her, especially the one on the middle with bright blond hair filled with huge hairpins who had one hand placed on her waist.

"S-sorry?" Rinoa eyed them questioningly.

"Oh, you poor dear. We saw you walk out of the cafeteria after the whole fight between the two hottest and perfect men in the whole world." The blonde one squeakingly replied. Rinoa rolled her eyes.

"Oh you want to argue?"

Rinoa shook her head.

"Good. Then I want to make some things clear with you."

The other two girls behind her, one with curly black hair and the other one with long, brown hair and thick make-up (whom Rinoa thought she saw once at the library when she returned her Psychology book a few days back) stepped forward, lifted Rinoa up and pushed her hardly against the wall. Pain stabbed Rinoa's back.

The blonde one walked closer to Rinoa's face, glowering at her intently. "I know you're becoming closer to Cloud and Squall. And I want you to to stay away from them." She said threateningly. Then, she touched Rinoa's chin gently, sending a stinging sensation to her skin. "I simply don't want other people getting anywhere near my precious boys. Are we clear on that?"

Fear instilled inside Rinoa as she stared at the cold and mocking face of the girl before her.

* * *

Tifa followed Rinoa out of the cafeteria, but she lost sight of her almost immediately.

"Rinoa!" She called. But there was no answer.

The hallways were empty. All the students were at the canteen. The others who walked out from the commotion were possibly at the gym, waiting for the lunchbreak to end. Teachers were at the lounges where they had their own kitchen to make lunches with, completely oblivious of the chaos.

_She could be anywhere_, Tifa thought. But the school was big, and anywhere meant tedious searching.

"Rinoa, where are you..." Tifa hysterically said under her breath.

She searched the gym, but only found a few people. No Rinoa.

She went to the library and thought it could be Rinoa's favorite place. But she wasn't there either.

She passed by the hall where offices and storage rooms where aligned, but thought Rinoa couldn't possibly found any comfort from eerily empty places such as that one.

Until she heard that voice, that annoying squeaky one that belonged to none other.

"I simply don't want other people getting anywhere near my precious boys. Are we clear on that?" It said.

Tifa looked at the source's direction.

Viola. There she was. She finally found Rinoa. Only she was pinned against a wall by two female students while the other one with noticebaly blonde and overly decorated hair was standing so close to the cornered Rinoa.

"Leblanc!" Tifa yelled dangerously and wore a deathly frown as she walked quickly towards them.

The blonde one snapped her head to Tifa, her derisive face suddenly turned into worry at the sight of Cloud's friend. She quickly stepped farther away from Rinoa, as the other two girls finally let go of her shoulders.

Tifa rushed by the frozen Rinoa's side and put an arm around her. "Leblanc, what were you doing to her?" Tifa furiously demanded.

"Oh, we just had a small girl to girl talk." Leblanc, the blonde one, replied nervously.

"Once I find out what this is about, Cloud will know about it. And it's gonna be you who will avoid him." Tifa growled as she clung protectively on Rinoa.

The blonde bully looked at Rinoa then to Tifa.

"Hmph! C'mon girls." She eyed Rinoa balefully before walking out of the hall.

As soon as they disappeared, Tifa gave Rinoa a worried look. "Rinoa, dear, are you alright?"

Rinoa, who still had her eyes fixed at Leblanc and her gang, meekly nodded.

Tifa knew it wasn't the truth. Rinoa wasn't fine at all. All the bad parts of her day happening in one lunchbreak could be pretty overwhelming. She gave Rinoa another warm hug, who suddenly bursted out crying on Tifa's shoulder.

* * *

During the Psychology class, Rinoa dragged her chair away from Cloud, who watched her regretfully as she settled at the other corner of the class. It wasn't because Leblanc threatened her to stay away from him. It was because she was still mad at him, for making her expect with something that was as good as a promise. And he broke it with a single sway of his metal bar.

It made Cloud uncomfortable. It made him feel like a failure. Again. And it was the last thing he wanted. But he couldn't help it, he just didn't like seeing Squall standing beside Rinoa, buying her lunch when he was supposed to do that for her. It felt like his rival stole that duty away from him.

Then again, it wasn't his obligation to buy Rinoa her lunch.

But why would Squall do that? Maybe to piss him off. Maybe...

In the end, It lead to another fight. And he felt sorry, more than ever, that Rinoa had to see it.

Just because their rivalry got in the way again.

Squall, on the other hand, waited at his usual corner inside the library for a miracle to happen.

He didn't like what he heard at the cafeteria after the fight.

"_I HATE BOTH OF YOU!"_

He was simply fighting for his right to buy her a lunch as a repay for the sandwich, until Cloud decided to be a smartass and stepped into his way, thinking that he was the only one allowed to get Rinoa some food.

But he wanted to buy Rinoa her lunch too, even before she gave him a sandwich. Even before Cloud started buying her lunch. As a matter of fact, he wanted to be the first one to buy her lunch.

He wanted to be the one beside her. To spend her lunch with.

Actually, he wished he was Cloud, so he would be the one entitled to spend more time with her. To protect her from the rival's leader, or anyone from his gang. To be the first one she would know and depend on. But no, it was Cloud that was given that kind of privilege.

"Lucky bastard."

On the other hand, his father was a good friend to Rinoa's father, and that was enough connection. But then, the old men barely see each other. And it meant that either will they.

_I guess I'm just lucky we're schoolmates_, he thought. But it didn't help. Rinoa hated him now.

_Whatever. I don't care_, he tried to persuade himself.

No matter how he denied it, he never cared so much about what a person thought of him, much less hated him, especially someone from 3-B. Never, until Rinoa came. Now, more than anything, he became conscious about how she saw him, how she would look at him. He had hurt her for quite several times, compared to Cloud who had always been nice to her, which made Squall look like the bad one. And he couldn't blame her, he was barely kind to anyone and that was just how he is. He wasn't good in showing how he really feels because he was worried that it might affect how people would think of him. It was enough for him to be called the 'Mean, introverted guy from 3-A'. But Rinoa, she never seemed to mind, and she was the type that forgives easily. Only that, he saw how mad she was during the break, and Squal hoped she will forgive him this time for fighting Cloud just right after he told her that he wanted the rivalry to end. He wasn't just being mean anymore, he became a hypocritical jerk too.

While he reflected on Rinoa, he saw someone enter the row of bookshelves at the corner of his eye. His heart jumped and quickly turned to see who it was.

But it wasn't the Rinoa he wanted to see.

"Oh, Squall! Didn't expect to see you here." It was Leblanc, one of his loyal stalkers.

_Of course you didn't_, Squall wanted to reply sarcastically.

She stood there for another moment, but Squall didn't care. He was much too serious about his problem to give her any attention, not like he ever did.

"I hope you still remember me." She said sincerely. "My name's Leblanc, I'm from 3-C? I'm a classmate of your friend Tidus." She giggled.

Squall stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He remembered when he was still in his second year, Tidus reluctantly introduced Leblanc to him out of her insistent request. Ever since then, much to his annoyance, she would give him flirty glances everytime he saw her anywhere at the school. He was glad that she had not discovered his favorite private place yet... until now.

"I'm sorry about the fight with Cloud this lunchbreak." Squall couldn't tell if she was being sad or happy, with her squeaky voice. "And that girl, she was being too mean to say those things to you!"

Squall shook his head. "No. It wasn't her fault. I understand her, I deserve what she said."

"Oh, honey, no!" Squall was surprised with her soothing voice and- _wait, did she just call me 'honey'?_

"Whatever, it's none of your business." Squall plainly said and walked away, leaving the embarassed Leblanc. He had enough of her attempted invasion of space.

* * *

Cloud's walk home wasn't a comfortable one, and Zack's silence wasn't helping either. He kept recalling how Rinoa completely shut herself off from him. She didn't even look at him for at least a second. She was clearly angry at him, and it bothered Cloud Strife. The usually warm and cheerful Rinoa had turned cold because of what he had done. He began to think that it was all Squall's fault, but they both ended up fighting each other. Why didn't he just stop it instead? Why couldn't he trust Rinoa to take care for herself?

But it wasn't easy, and it was Cloud's perfect excuse why he always had to step in between wasn't sure about Squall's true intention, and who knows if they were genuinely nice. But the past he had with Squall was never a good one.

He looked up at the sky. It was snowing, but he didn't bring a jacket, his body was unusually resistant of the cold. But he wondered if Rinoa at least brought a coat with her. He would've went back to school and help her back home like last time but there were many reasons why he didn't do that. He didn't have a coat to cover her up for warmth to begin with. Secondly, there were no traffic problems and her driver will pick Rinoa up to bring her home immediately, so walking her home was pointless. Finally, he was scared to receive even more cold glares from her that were worse than being thrown with foods and plates.

Cloud and Zack reached home with neither of them talking, even until they reached the tall structure where both of them resided. They entered the building and as usual, they were greeted by the pretty, red haired receptionist.

"Good afternoon Mr. Strife, Mr. Fair."

"Hey Cissnei! What's up?" Zack greeted back with a forced cheery voice.

Both stepped into the elevator and Zack pushed the number '17'. After a while, they finally reached their floor and silently entered their suite.

On the couch at the receiving area sat a ginger head adult, wearing his usual crimson cloak, reading his favorite book 'Loveless'. He had been reading it everyday in his whole life, but everyone in the suite already understood that it was a part of him.

And then, from one of the six bedrooms in the flat, another adult with black hair came out.

"Hey kids," He greeted. "How was school?"

"Yeah... well, it was fine Angeal." Zack scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah?" The black haired detected the edginess in Zack's reply.

"I had a fight," Cloud said without looking at Angeal. "with Leonhart."

"Again. Why am I not surprised." Angeal crossed his arm.

"Be quiet, I'm trying to read." The one sitting on the couch irritably said.

"Sorry Genesis." Zack apologized.

Cloud walked into his bedroom and closed his door.

"So, Sephiroth is not back yet?" Zack curiously asked Angeal in a low voice, careful that he might disturb Genesis again. He shook his head.

"Not yet. But he said he'll be back within thirty minutes or less. Why? Cloud?"

"Yeah, the school principal might ask for Cloud's guardian again or something because of the fight. Unless you wanted to posse as his guardian in Sephiroth's place!"

Angeal shook his head. "It's a bad idea."

Zack gave him a puzzled look. "How come? I don't see anything wrong with that."

Angeal snickered. "They don't want to see the same face again when you get yourself into trouble."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"

"SSSHHH!! Keep your voice down!" Genesis ordered impatiently.

Angeal chuckled.

"I'm sorry! I'm so-"

Zack was cut by a ring of the phone.

He sighed. "I got it."

Zack picked up the phone. "Hyellow?... Sephiroth! What's up man?... Oh, Cloud's in his room, why?... Sure thing! I'll go tell him.... No problem! Bye!"

The black haired teenager put the phone back down and turned to Angeal as he walked to Cloud's room. "It was Seph, he just got back from the mission. He said he needs Cloud at the examination room."

* * *

Cloud stood patiently inside the elevator as it brought him down to the third floor where Sephiroth was waiting for him. It had became a routine for both of them; everytime his guardian Sephiroth comes back from a mission, he would call Cloud and fill him in with new things that he got from his experience as a General.

After he heard the 'ding', Cloud stepped out of the elevator, headed left and went into the small, examination room. Seated on one of the silver chairs was a tall adult with long, silver hair and pale skin. His icy blue eyes with slitted pupils looked up at Cloud as soon as he heard the door closed.

"You rang?" The blonde asked.

"Come, I'll give you a task to do." Sephiroth said with his big, low voice as he stood up and walked towards a door behind him. Cloud followed. Then, his mentor gestured at him to open it himself.

After he did, his sky-blue eyes widened with surprise as he looked at the only occupant of the room.

On the single bed at the center of the brightly lit, white room, laid a sleeping girl with green, curly hair tied in a red ribbon. She was just about Cloud's age, and even if he had not seen her in a very, very long time, Cloud could still clearly remember who she was.

"Kefka got hold of her again when I infiltrated his secret base. So I saved her from him." Sephiroth began to explain. "This time, instead of bringing her back to her own base, I took her with me for her own protection. And I'm giving you the mission to look after her."

Cloud didn't take his eyes off the slumbering girl. After all the years she had been away from him, he wasn't expecting to ever see her again, though he planned to search for her after he has gotten stronger like what he had promised her. His mouth opened and muttered the name of the girl he was put in charge to protect.

"Terra."

* * *

**A/N**: Next chapter, Cloud's past. :3


	11. Terra

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** And here it is! One whole chapter about Cloud's past! :D

Of course, there will also be one for Squall's past, so stay posted. ^^"

Anyway, I would like to thank some of my dear readers who read and reviewed my story: _MonMonCandie, Cerulean Crystal, floutistvivi, Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, XxGoodGirlGoneTobixX, GreenOpalus, wais101, FaithFromTheMystick, Kinky-Nami-Lass, Takers Hidden Soul Mate, Kithain, _and_ freestyler91_. You guys inspire me. :3

Again, hope you like this chapter! ^^

* * *

"_Are you an angel?"_

Cloud could still remember every detail of those days he spent with her; how the nostalgic air felt, her memorable scent, the first time they met...

Those memories were all clear to him, and he had kept them that way, for they are most precious to him.

Cloud was sitting on a chair next to a window inside the sixth room of the suite, which was meant for guests. He carried Terra all the way from the third floor and placed her on top on the room's bed to rest. He decided to stay with her until she wakes up, so she would know there was nothing to be afraid of, that he was there with her in case she needed anything.

He watched as snowflakes slowly and gracefully hail from the sky, touching the icy ground. It reminded him of how his first encounter with Terra changed his life.

* * *

It was snowing in the small town of Nibelheim, but the harsh winter did not stop Ms. Strife from kicking her son out of the house for not getting up on the agreed time in the morning. Cloud was only eight years old then, and was not as strong with the cold weather as he was when he turned seventeen. He wouldn't be able to come back inside until late in the afternoon when his mother would be out somewhere, always leaving him to tend for himself. He walked, away from his forsaken house and headed to the place he had always hidden himself from the rest of the town, from the eyes of the people. He had always wanted to run away from the cruelty of the town, but he knew he wouldn't survive very far. The best he could do was the gloomy mansion at the edge of the town. Though it would seem that he was the only resident, it was the place closest to home for the little Cloud. He first saw it when he was seven years old, and it had almost been a year ever since he discovered it's existence in Nibelheim. The moment he stepped into the place, he felt a strange connection it had with him, like he belonged in it, like it was meant for him to live in. Ever since then, he became attached with the huge house, which was just as sombre as he was.

Inside the mansion, there were large windows, giving him a clear sight of the other side of the town. There was nothing much to see outside but a deserted place full of big rocks and boulders, covered in white snow, though strangely enough, the solitude gave Cloud tranquility. All day, he would stay at the gloomy place, roam around, inspect everything that was left by the previous owner who unexpectedly vanished... but he would often find himself sitting next to the tall, wide windows and watch the scenery that helped him forget whatever unkindness the day had given him.

"H-hello?"

Cloud jumped up at the sound of the voice of an intruder. It sounded like it belonged to a kid, a little girl. Luckily, he was hiding under the stairs, invisible to the second person who discovered the place. Cloud peeked slowly and silently, careful that she might see him.

She kept turning her head at all directions, as if searching for any sign of life, or anything for that matter. She seemed scared, obviously, and confused too. Cloud noticed one detail about her, a memory that would stick permanently in his mind, one trait that would make him remember her so easily; her emerald green hair that moved fluidly in the air. Her serene faeture somehow reminded him of the gentle snow. Cloud suddenly felt competely light.

"Hello?" She called again, only a bit more nervous this time. Her small, petite figure had made her look even more vulnerable from whatever element present around. Even worse, she wasn't wearing thick coats over her pink t-shirt and a pair of red shorts. Also, Cloud noticed that she was walking on her bare feet. Even he, who was often neglected by his mother, bothered to wear thick booths, and the sight of the girl made the little blonde shiver for her.

Cloud turned around, under the stairs, concealing himself completely from the girl. He began debating if he should show himself, or shoo her away, or completely ignore her and wait until she leaves the place herself. He didn't mind a new friend, it would bring a little change in his life. But it was more than enough for him to deal with his own problems, and having new people around would also mean watching over them. But a little company would be nice too.

Cloud turned his head again to where he last saw the wandering girl just to get another peek of her, but she was already beside him. He jumped at the nearness of her.

"Hello." She leant over Cloud and gave him a small smile. Her eyes glowed at the sight of the little blonde boy, with the realization that she wasn't alone, after all. Cloud could barely make out if her eyes were actually blue, purple, grey, or a mix of all those three (which until now was a mystery for both him and the owner).

Cloud stumbled on his back, surprised.

"Oh," she cried. "I didn't mean to scare you. I-I just... got lost... and..."

The shocked boy could swear she was about to cry. And he didn't like the sound of anyone crying, not even himself.

"Uh..." He muttered, trying to stop the girl from sobbing. She looked at him with sorry eyes. "it's alright." Cloud didn't know what else to say. Thankfully, the girl finally nodded.

Cloud turned around and walked back to his place where he was watching the snow before the girl showed up in the mansion. He sat on the floor, facing his (he had claimed this mansion and everything else in it to be his possession) window.

He felt the trespasser sat beside him. "I'm Terra." She said cheerfully. "What's your name?"

There was a long pause, but the girl waited patiently for the boy's answer. "Cloud."

Terra hummed under her breath. "It's nice to meet you, Cloud."

Then, she leaned forward and took a good look at her new friend. Cloud looked back at her, confused.

"May I ask you something?" Cloud didn't reply, but Terra didn't wait for his response anymore. "Are you an angel?"

It sounded ridiculous to Cloud, but it caught him off-guard nonetheless. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her with sky-blue eyes. And she simply stared back at him intently.

"No, of course I'm not. What made you think I'm an angel?"

"Well," Terra sat back up. "It's just that, you look like one."

"How do you know what angels look like?"

Terra casted her eyes down on her lap in embarrassment. "I-I guess it was just how I imagined them to be. Mommy used to tell me stories about them, and she said that they have light skin, blue eyes and yellow hair. And that they always glow."

Cloud glanced at his hands, curious if he does glow.

"And," Terra looked out the window. "Mommy said they appear everytime I feel sad."

_But you don't seem sad_, Cloud wanted to say. She looked happy enough to him, and he found it strange that she would say that.

"Mommy also said that they are nice, and they come out to make me happy." She turned her head again to Cloud. "You seem nice, and I don't feel so sad anymore now that you're here."

Cloud bent his head down and attempted to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks. "I don't think I'm nice. Besides, I don't have wings like angels do."

"Mommy said they don't have wings. She said she doesn't believe that angels have wings." Terra said in a tone so light, it gave Cloud comfort.

"I'm not an angel. Sorry." The little boy said. The girl giggled.

For another moment, they both stared out of the window. Cloud would glance at her once in a while, to find her smiling at the landscape before them. She looked weird to him, especially her hair color and light clothing. She didn't seem to feel so cold like he did, and to think she was a girl too.

Terra didn't seem to be much a bother to him, as she remained sitting there silently with him. Part of him wanted to stay_ alone_ in his 'home', while part of him wanted his new friend to stay with him like that forever. Everything was at peace, and all that mattered for both of them was the snow that slowly and gently fell out of the sky.

"Hey Cloud," the blonde boy heard Terra's mild voice called. "can you be my friend?"

Cloud looked at her curiously. It was the first time he would have a friend, a real one anyway, not the imaginary ones that he often played with whenever he got bored in the mansion.

He nodded in response. "Sure."

For the next days, weeks, and months, Terra would always go to the mansion and spend her time there with Cloud, who in turn, would wait for her arrival. Needless to say, they became very good friends, and they found solace in each other's presence. Often, they played treasure hunting inside the mansion and find more trashes and books, which were apparently hidden reports until they have collected all of them. They would also play Terra's favorite game which was 'hide and seek', though Cloud had hated that game since it was hard for him to look for Terra everytime. And it worried him when he didn't find her.

Also, the girl, who was apparently well-educated, began teaching Cloud how to write and read. And it wasn't a problem to him, he was a fast learner.

They also talked about their lives outside the mansion, and it was how Cloud knew that Terra belonged to the Branfords, a clan that just moved into Nibelheim. Her family, with the way she described them, seemed nice, far nicer than the family Cloud knew. Though her father was often away, and her mother would tell her that he was on a journey to protect everyone in the family and in the town. When Cloud asked why, Terra just shrugged and told him that she didn't quite understand either.

When it was Cloud's turn to tell more about his family, he simply replied that he only lived with his mother. Nothing more after that.

The two friends spent two birthdays in their secret place and they were happy enough that way. Both never got tired of each other's company, and both never really thought of letting anyone else in. As they grew up, Cloud had gotten taller and more protective of his only friend, while Terra had grown prettier and strangely confused about everything. Sometimes, after an afteroon nap, she would suddenly wake up, not remembering anything that happened before she slept. Also, there were times when she suddenly found herself lost inside the mansion, when she had been visiting there for a considerable lenght of time. It made Cloud worried about her.

Also, strange things began to happen everytime Terra was around.

Anything that Terra touched would be set ablaze at random times.

Water would suddenly pour out of her hands when she was worried.

The wind would blow strongly out of nowhere when she was sad.

And it was worst when she got mad once. Thunder suddenly stroke right beside her, without damaging anything inside the house.

Whenever Cloud would ask Terra about the incidents, she would simply tell him that even she didn't know, and the blonde knew that she truly had no idea.

"You worry too much, Cloud." Terra would say. "I think, everything's good, as long as I'm doing fine."

But it wasn't an enough reason for Cloud.

And so, he decided to find out about it himself and began his research by reading the books scattered inside the mansion, but he couldn't find anything that helped him explain the mysterious things that happened to his friend.

But he did find out something else.

One research day, Cloud decided to stay inside a bedroom with a big bookshelf. He didn't know why he chose to stay there, but he knew, through his instincts, that there was just something there he needed to see.

Terra stayed with him inside the room and examined the bookshelf while Cloud was reading on the bed. Suddenly, the shelf rolled sideways and it opened a dark passage of stairs.

The two children decided to explore it. They looked for a flashlight or any possible source of light and settled with a pair of candles. They went down the long staircase that lead them to a huge, dark room with rocky floor and walls. As Cloud waved his candle around, he noticed torches portruted from tall, wide pillars. He lit one, and it lightened up a big part of the place. Terra did the same with the other torches and not long after, the whole place was completely lit. It revealed it's true form; an underground base that looked like a cave with several doors. But only one caught Cloud's attention, and that was the green door at the far end of the place.

"Cloud, I don't think this is a good idea." Terra said nervously.

"Don't worry. It won't take long. Just stay close to me." Cloud assured her as he grabbed her hand securely.

The room behind the suspicious door was filled with bookshelves. Anywhere they turned, there would always be books. It was simply decorated with a single light hovering over an empty, wooden desk.

"Well, I guess these should be pretty helpful."

With that, they began to grab all the books they can get their hands on and started reading. But there was nothing Cloud found too useful.

"Hey Cloud," Terra approached Cloud with an opened book in her hand. "look at this." She said amusingly.

Cloud obeyed and glanced at the book. The page was filled with drawings and scribbled notes on the sides, though he couldn't understand what they meant. He flipped the page and saw his surname written on it, though it was put right after the words "**a girl named**". There was a girl named Strife recorded on the book. He searched for the year and found it beside the note. It was written eleven years ago.

He flipped another page again, and this time, he read "**Project Cloud**". Seeing 'Strife' and 'Cloud' in one book wasn't a mere coincidence.

Overwrought, he turned the page again and read "**Jenova cells**", "**experiment**"...

and "**baby Cloud**".

Cloud was breathing heavily, his heart beating fast. Why would his name be in a book, written just beside the words 'experiment', 'project' and 'Jenova cells'?

"Cloud?" Terra called worriedly.

Cloud turned back to her and forced a smile, so not to worry her. "I think it's getting late."

"Mm-hm" Terra nodded.

"Let's go home. And I'll bring this with me."

But it was a bad idea after all.

"Where did you get this?!" Cloud's mother yelled after she caught him reading the book he brought home inside his room the next morning. But he didn't respond.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THIS!!!" She yelled again and hit Cloud with the book with extreme force on his face. His nose began to bleed, and still he didn't reply. He didn't want to tell her where he found it, he could never let her know his and Terra's secret place.

"You little bastard, if you don't tell me now where you got this..." Ms. Strife hissed between her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury, her face reddening in anger.

"AGAIN! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS!?"

Cloud only shook his head.

She raised her hand and slapped him hard on his cheek.

"AGAIN!"

Cloud didn't look at her and simply shook his head.

"You're not answering, eh?"

She walked outside the room and took something. Cloud knew that when she comes back, i would hurt even more.

And he was right.

She walked back into the room with a long, wooden stick in her hand. Without any warning, she slammed it to the boy's folded legs. Cloud let out a whimper

She raised it again and hit him the second time. The boy let out a cry.

For the third time around, Cloud shouted in pain.

"Ms. Strife!"

A tall, bulky man held Cloud's mother's arm to stop her from battering the poor Cloud any more. Ms. Strife shrieked from the intervention of the man as she struggled to let herself go from his grasp. The boy took advantage of it and ran out of the room.

"Come back! Come back here you ratbag!!!"

Cloud made it out of his house. Finally. But his legs had gone too weak from the beating. He fell on his knees and supported his body with his arms. Drops of blood fell from his face, staining the ground.

"Oh Hyne," He heard a young girl's voice said, but he was sure it wasn't Terra. He then felt her kneel beside him. "Are you okay?"

Cloud didn't answer. He didn't want to feel helpless, nor weak. He hated that woman he had called mother, and he never wanted her to be the cause of his failure.

Not just to himself, but to Terra as well.

He had to meet her at the mansion. She was waiting for him.

And those woman's hits will never stop him.

He pushed himself up and stood, like a brave one last standing soldier in a defeated battle. With limping legs, he walked to the mansion's direction.

"Hey! Wait!" The girl, who tried to help him before, shouted at Cloud. She ran beside him and place an arm around him in support. "Where do you think you're going?"

Before she could tell him to go to her house instead, Cloud muttered. "To the mansion."

"Wha-what mansion?" The girl began limping with Cloud as she supported him.

"There's... a mansion... right over there... I need to go there."

"Okay, okay. Let me at least come with you."

And Cloud allowed her. He needed her help anyway. What used to be a mere fifteen minute travel to the mansion became a long, long walk to Cloud. All thanks to his limping feet.

When they arrived, Terra was waiting by the large windows. She turned around and gasped at the beaten sight of Cloud, who smiled at her meekly. Seeing Terra made him forget about what happened in his room that morning.

"Cloud!" She ran to him.

The girl who helped Cloud, got tired from the tedious travel she did. Gently, she put Cloud down on the floor as she too sat beside him.

Terra knelt in front of Cloud and examined his bruised cheeks, legs and bleeding nose. He looked back at her and gave her another reassuring smile, as if telling her that he was doing alright. Then, Terra bursted into tears.

That day, Cloud insisted on staying inside the mansion, where Terra and the other girl helped him recover by using anything they could find. That girl, who walked with Cloud to the large, gloomy house, introduced herself as Tifa Lockhart. She lived with her father, the same man who stopped Cloud's mother from hitting her son, and they were residing right beside the Strife's house. That was how they heard Ms. Strife's screams.

"I heard it first." Tifa told Terra while they were gathering bottled potions from one of the storage rooms inside the mansion. "When I heard her shout, I called Papa and told him about it. Good thing Ms. Strife forgot to lock her house, so Papa was able to let himself in and save Cloud."

Suddenly, Terra hugged Tifa. She embraced her tightly.

"Thank you." She said in her gentle voice.

Cloud became more careful for the next times he went home. He'd made sure that his mother was out so he could come in to eat and sleep there. Though he was invited by the Lockharts to stay with them instead, he insisted on staying at his own house. By early morning, before his mother arrived, he would wake up and head to the mansion, where he waited for Terra and Tifa.

Also, ever since that incident, Tifa became a part of the group, much to Terra's delight. Like the green haired Branford, she would go to the mansion everyday and meet up with her new friends. Both Terra and Cloud gave her a tour of the place, and everyday they would play, like usual. But it only lasted for a few weeks.

* * *

Cloud's eyes winced slightly at the pain of the next memory he had about what he considered the saddest part of his life, the day Terra was kidnapped.

* * *

She suddenly didn't appear at the mansion one day, which made the ten year old Cloud search the whole town hysterically with Tifa. Until they found Terra's house.

It was her mother who greeted them first at their rather huge house. She was surrounded by men in military clothes, whom Cloud recognized as the infirmary men from some huge company, which he would later found out was called 'Shinra'. He often saw them talking to his mother back at their house.

Mrs. Branford looked stressed, dragged and extremely distressed as she talked to the men.

"We will inform you as soon as we can about your daughter, Mrs. Branford. We will not stop until we find her."

The woman held a huge tissue to her face as she nervously wiped her swelling eyes from tears that never stopped flowing out. She had Terra's curly hair, though hers were colored golden yellow.

The men passed by the children and stepped out of the house. Cloud and Tifa watched them and failed to notice that Terra's mother saw them.

"You must be Terra's friends." Her melodic voice said.

Cloud and Tifa turned to her.

"I'm Terra's mom."

She let them in, and gave each of them a toasted bread as they sat on the couch. Then, she began to tell them that Terra, was in fact, kidnapped by a madman named Kefka, who had long been having a great interest with her daughter.

"Her father, he... he had done everything to keep our Terra safe." She sobbed. "We've been transferring towns to hide from that lunatic, but he never stopped. Terra's dad even formed a resistance group against Kefka just to protect Terra. And now..." The last two words choked Mrs. Brandford as she finally gave in a cried. It was agonizing for her to know that she had failed to protect her precious daughter from any harm, like both she and her husband had promised.

Cloud was dumbfounded. Never in his life did he imagine anything bad would happen to Terra, he simply couldn't bear the thought. He swore, the first time he met her, that he would look after her. But he failed that part, he had let someone kidnap her.

It was hard for Cloud. Even at a young age, he was restless. It was worse than the beatings he received from his much hated mother. He'd rather get hundreds of those, than let something happen to Terra.

Tifa, who was also worried, tried her best to cheer Cloud up, but even she couldn't get to him.

A couple of days later, Terra was finally found. But as soon as she was, her family left Nibelheim, and neither Cloud nor Tifa ever saw her again.

From then on, Cloud became painfully silent. He would go to the mansion, like he always had everyday, but he would sit by the large window the whole time, as if waiting for someone. Tifa, on the other hand, had tried visiting him for a few days, but Cloud never talked to her, except when he was asked with important questions.

After a while, Tifa eventually grew tired of her useless efforts, and Cloud was once again alone in the mansion.

Two years later, on Cloud's 12th birtday, his mother Ms. Strife suddenly disappeared. Everyone in the town thought she was dead, and Cloud would like to believe that she was. Until a man in white suit accompanied by more men in black suits came into his house before Cloud could even walk his way to the mansion. The boy was especially particular about the man in white, who had light blonde hair, pale skin and the same sky-blue eyes Cloud had. He introduced himself as Rufus Shinra, the owner of a large company that held most scientific laboratories around the world and controls a powerful army of well trained fighters, who called themselves SOLDIERs.

"What do you want?" Cloud had enough of his lofty introductions.

"I came here to take you with me."

"Not interested."

"If I leave you here, nobody will tend to you." The man soothed to the boy. "Your mother is never coming back as part of our... deal... when I paid her to agree in taking care of you and leave as soon as you turn twelve."

"What did you mean by 'deal'? And I never said I was waiting for her to come back." Cloud replied in a surprisingly matured manner.

Rufus chuckled. "Everything isn't what it seems like to you, Cloud." He cleared his throat. "Thirteen years ago, an experiment was made right here, in this town of Nibelheim. The objective of the test was to create a perfect human being capable of carrying Jenova's cells. Do you know what that means?"

Cloud did not answer. Rufus continued.

"It means that he will possess superhuman features, capable of using the energy from this planet, and maybe even beyond it. We still don't know, it was merely a test, though the expected result was a human being who excels greatly in combat, so that I could make him part of my army. Your mother, Ms. Strife, participated in this test out of her desperate need for mortgage. I, on the other hand, took part in it as well out of my need for an heir to take over my company once I'm gone.

"As you may already know," He paused, and considered the age of the boy he was talking to. "or not know, to create this human being, two different cells were needed to combine. One from a male and one from a female. The 'male cell' came from me, while the other one came from an unearthly being that was believed to be a female, Jenova. After they were put together, they were planted inside Ms. Strife's womb, who carried the baby for the whole nine months and gave birth to a baby boy." He looked at Cloud intently. "I guess you already know who that baby was."

Cloud took his time to comprehend Rufus' explanation. He was an experiment, the "**baby Cloud**" in the book he found once at the mansion. The man's explanation matched all the strange words written in that book. He was the result, the baby with no real mother, only a father who left him under the cruelty of a stranger who cared about nothing but money.

"Why?" Cloud muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Why did you leave me with her?"

Rufus gently massaged his nosebridge. "Speculations began to spark among the people, and I can't afford to stain my name."

"Don't give me that crap." Cloud bravely said. He figured that the man, after all, was his father. He should be able to say anything.

"Pardon?"

Cloud look away to his side, avoiding to answer him.

"In the absence of your mother, I am taking you with me, whether you like it or not. You will be trained, of course, to be a fighter, to be a SOLDIER, to work for my company. Our company. I will also shape you as Shinra's next Preside-"

"Just like that?" Cloud cut him. "You left me and then showed up to take me back when you need me, just like that?"

"Why, tell me Cloud. Do you have anything better in your mind for yourself?" Rufus replied with such calmness in his voice.

"I'll stay in Nibelheim. I can survive by myself in here." Cloud stubbornly replied.

"Where will you get money to fend for yourself, now that your mother is gone? You're only twelve, what can you do? Sell barbeque?" He sighed. "It is only a smart choice that you come with me, where a beautiful future awaits you. After all, you were made to have a good future from the start. It was the very reason you were made."

_He's right,_ Cloud thought. Part of him was scared of what may indeed happen to him now that he was all by himself. Also, the training to become a SOLDIER part got him to agree. That way, when he becomes stronger, he will be able to find Terra and take her away from harm's path.

In the end, he came with the man who claimed to be his father. He didn't have a choice anyway.

True enough, Cloud lived in riches under the care of his biological father, though he chose not to use 'Shinra' as his name. Both Rufus and Cloud agreed that he will use 'Strife' for legal purposes and for the protection of Shinra's reputation. Also, he was trained and became a second class SOLDIER under the supervision of his guardian, one of the first class SOLDIERs, General Sephiroth, who also acted as his mentor. He came alongside Cloud whenever he was assigned to missions, as part of his training, and he has a long way to go before he can call himself first class.

Rufus also provided Cloud with good education by schooling him with his company's top scientists. Then, he placed Cloud to Deling High, which he believed was the best school for his son and let him stay at a company's office in Deling City, along with other first class SOLDIERs, Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos, and Angeal's apprentice named Zack Fair who instantly became Cloud's best friend.

* * *

The blonde SOLDIER was presently watching Terra, who was breathing peacefully in her sleep. She was changed into Cloud's clothes, since the ones she was wearing when Sephiroth brought her were slightly ripped and dirty, probably caused by whatever ruckus Sephiroth made when he attacked Kefka's base. Cloud had Cissnei's help to clean Terra up before she was placed on the bed to sleep safely. He still had to thank Sephiroth for saving her in the end, and for making it easier for him. And now, he was given the duty to protect her at all costs, and he swore to himself and to his childhood friend that he will protect her with his life.

* * *

"What are you doing Sunshine?"

General Caraway greeted his daughter that evening in their kitchen while he grabbed a glass of water from the fridge. Rinoa was sitting on their dining table, writing on a long parcel of paper. She looked up to her father.

"Oh, hey Dad. I'm writing my Christmas presents list."

"Ah yes... Am I on it?"

Rinoa giggled.

"Well, don't stay up too late Love."

"I won't, Dad."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Rinoa looked over her list again. _Yuna (of course), Rikku, Pain, Tifa, Yuffie, Zack, Selphie, Quistis, Seifer (just for the heck of it), Tidus, Irvine..._

_Cloud, Squall_

They were part of her list, no doubt about that. But she was still mad at them about what happened that afternoon at the cafeteria. She wanted to buy them some presents, but part of Rinoa told her that she wanted those two to know that she was still angry about what they did. They haven't even apologized for it anyway.

_But why would they apologize when they were so high and mighty, and so full of themselves?_

Rinoa sighed. She hated being upset over them, they were both good friends to her. But she couldn't forgive them so quickly either.

"Well, tomorrow's a new day, I guess." She grumbled. "Maybe, by some miracle, something good will happen tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N:** What will happen tomorrow, hmm? :3


	12. Lunch at Watt's

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series

**Author's Note**: This chapter, though hard to do, was especially light. It served as my bridge, and an introduction to the sparking relationship between Rinoa and Squall. I was intending to put the start of major Squinoa parts on this chapter, but I figured I should take it slow and save that for the next chapter, hence, this chapter. :3

Again, I would like to thank everyone who read my story and gave it reviews. I love you guys, really. *HUGS*

And I hope you'll like this chapter! Sorry it took so long for me to update... but the next two ones... well, they are what I'm especially excited about. hihihi... :3

* * *

Cloud did not go to school the next day.

The first thing Rinoa did that morning as she entered 3-B's classroom was check his usual chair, only to find it empty. She then approached his best friend Zack who was sitting next to Cloud's unoccupied chair and asked him where his friend was and if he was going to show up at anytime of the day. But he timidly replied that he won't.

"... he had to run some... errands." Zack scratched the back of his head. It was true, Cloud was assigned with an errand, a mission to look after that girl his guardian Sephiroth brought with him the day before. But she did not wake up yet, and Cloud refused to leave her side until she does, or unless he was asked to do something urgent.

As much as he wanted to, Zack couldn't tell Rinoa the exact reason why Cloud did not go to school. It was part of Shinra's rules; to keep their missions or any part of their lives as SOLDIERs in secrecy.

But Rinoa got the wrong idea.

She thought it was because of what she said and how she acted the day before. She couldn't deny that she was being mean, and it was what she intended to do to show Cloud how angry she was. She didn't mean anything else or anything worse than that. And she felt bad for it.

_Maybe I overdid it._

"Oh... okay. Thanks, Zack."

"Ahehe... Anytime."

She wondered if Squall too was absent that day.

"Hey Rinoa!" A familiar voice called her. She turned around with a forced smile.

"Hi Yuna."

Her friend gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. So what's up?"

"I was just gonna ask you what your plans are for today."

"Today?" Rinoa gave her friend a confused look. She never asked her that before, even during Fridays. What would make that day different from regular schooldays?

"Well, yeah. I mean, we only have half of today for school. It's the last day of this year before the holidays!"

Rinoa's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wow, really?"

"Yeah!"

The black haired girl smiled in excitement and began jumping. "Yay!"

Yuna started to jump with her. "I know! Isn't it great?!"

"Yeah!" Rinoa giggled. She never experienced anything like that back in Winhill. The only holiday she had there was Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's eve and the day after.

Their classmates began to look at them quizzically at their childish behavior.

As soon as they stopped jumping, Yuna held Rinoa's hands. "So, are you planning on doing anything this afternoon?"

"Uh, not that I know of." Rinoa was hoping Yuna would invite her to a lunch somewhere. "Why?"

"Well, I asked because Tidus invited me to grab some lunch at Zone's Resto."

_Oh._

"He wanted to invite you to come with us."

Rinoa's smile faded. "Uhm," Her brows furrowed as she thought about it. "well, Yuna, that would be great but..."

She paused. And slowly, she put her smile back on.

"I think, it would be better if I leave you guys alone. I mean, it sounds like a great date for both of you. And I really don't want to interrupt it or anything."

"Oh! No, no, no, we would really love your company." Yuna gave her an assuring smile.

Rinoa shook her head. "Thank you, really. But I do think that it's best to leave you guys alone. Beside, it's Christmas. Do yourself a favor and spend as much time as you can with him." She smiled and gave her friend's arm a comforting rub.

Yuna sighed. "Well, if you insist. But, if you change your mind, just come with us."

"Hmmm... I'll think about it."

Yuna giggled. "Okay."

"How about Rikku and Paine? Have you asked them yet?"

"Rikku said she'll be busy helping Uncle Cid with the airship rentals. Holidays are pick seasons and many people wanted to go places and stuff." Rinoa knew Rikku lied on that, so Yuna and Tidus would be able to spend more time alone. "And Paine, well, as usual, she said she didn't want to go." Yuna shrugged.

_Good_, Rinoa thought.

"How about Tifa? Or Yuffie?"

"What about us?" Said a familiar voice which sounded closely to Rikku's. But it wasn't Rikku, rather her 3-B version, Yuffie.

"Oh, uh-well..." Yuna stuttered in reply, and Rinoa instantly knew Tidus did not plan to invite them.

"I was just asking if you guys have plans for today after school." The raven haired continued for her friend. Yuna briefly shot her a grateful look.

Yuffie glanced at her excitedly. "My grandpa's coming over to fetch me, and we're going back to Wutai!" she threw her arms in the air, enjoying the thought of her holiday vacation.

"Oh. What about Tifa?" Rinoa asked as she looked around the room for her friend. "Where is she anyway?"

"Oh, Tifa already left for Nibelheim." Yuffie nodded informatively. "She wanted to tell you guys she was sorry she didn't inform you. She was supposed to tell you yesterday, but the fight happened and all that so..."

"That's fine." Yuna mildly replied.

"We understand." Rinoa nodded.

* * *

School finished early, before lunch to be exact, like what Yuna told Rinoa. The black haired Caraway was standing under the shed, as usual, waiting for her driver Robert to pick her up.

Then, she suddenly realized something. Robert didn't know that she only had half of the day for school.

Quickly, Rinoa searched her bag for her phone and dialled her driver's number. He picked up after two rings.

"Miss Heartily!"

"Hey Robert! Uhm, I'm sorry for such a short notice, but school's finished right now. Can you come pick me up?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Ma'am, but Sir Caraway asked me to bring him to Galbadia Garden for some business appointment of some sort."

"Until what time is his appointment?"

"Until 2 o'clock, Ma'am. We planned to arrive there right on time for your dismissal and pick you up then."

_That would mean two hours of waiting._ Rinoa sighed. "Oh."

"I'm really sorry Ma'am, I couldn't leave him here. And he was already inside, so I can't inform him."

Rinoa clearly understood. He was probably in the meeting right now, too busy to be disturbed. "It's fine, Robert. It's my fault anyway. I didn't tell you about it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, really. I can always find my way home, the house shouldn't be that far."

"Ma'am, please. You can't possibly walk again like last time. Your father would be worried."

_He doesn't know_, Rinoa thought wickedly. "Or I can ask a friend to ride me home." She suddenly rebutted defensively, half hoping that her statement would come true.

"That would be a better idea."

"Okay Robert, thank you anyway."

"Alright Ma'am."

Rinoa put her phone away. Her next problem was who will be willing to share a ride with her and bring her home.

She thought of Tidus, but she wasn't really sure where he was. Besides, he was probably already on a date with Yuna, and Rinoa had no idea where Zone's Resto was.

Cloud would walk her home but... he was absent. And the reminder made Rinoa's stomach cramp with guilt.

Then she thought of Squall and had a brilliant realization.

_Maybe Squall can take me home!_

...

_Where is Squall?_

She looked around in search for the brunette. He was the only hope left for her, but she saw no sign of him. She thought about coming back inside the school and search the library, but she was having second thoughts about the effort she'll make, because it made alot more sense to think that he had already gone home for the holidays, like everyone else, especially since he still had to travel all the way from Deling City to Esthar.

Rinoa sighed again.

Suddenly, she spotted a familiar figure with long and silky blonde hair near the gate of the school that Rinoa undoubtedly knew belonged to one of her friends from 3-A.

She stepped out of the shed and ran to its direction.

"Quistis!" Rinoa called.

The blonde beauty turned around and smiled, delighted to see her. "Rinoa!"

Rinoa stopped beside Quistis. "Hey, uhm, do you happen to know where Squall is?"

"Oh, yes. He's at Watt's with the rest of the group. It's two blocks away. I'm on my way there actually."

"Oh." Rinoa nodded, even if she didn't know what Watt's was. "What's he doing there?"

"Well, we're having our last Christmas get together before we part ways for the holidays and all. You should come with us!"

Rinoa shook her head. "Oh, no. Actually, I just wanted to ask Squall if I could share a ride with him going home, since my driver was still in Galbadia waiting for my dad." Quistis nodded, and Rinoa followed in response. "But, I guess Squall won't be coming home anytime soon, which is alright too. I can walk my way home." A long and icy cold walk.

"Come now Rinoa. It will be great if you can come with us while you wait for your driver. Besides, Squall doesn't usually stay that long, and he may take you home soon too."

It was a tempting offer, especially for Rinoa. She didn't mind spending more time with Squall and the others, it was her chance to get to know 3-A's friendly bunch. However, she was concerned that she might feel a bit out of place if she went. Then again, who was she to assume that. She was good friends with Selphie, Irvine and Quistis (she didn't trust that Squall would help her feel comfortable, so she counted him out), and spending lunch with them might not be as bad. Better yet, it might turn out pretty good. After all, nobody and not even she can predict the future.

Also, it was the best option left for Rinoa.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

* * *

Rinoa had no idea what kind of courage Hyne had blessed her to accept Quistis' offer and go to a Christmas reunion with her friends. The raven haired from 3-B felt like her stomach was loaded with snakes as she stared nervously at the small fast food place called 'Watt's', which was inviting her in like a menacing Bahamut's mouth.

"Here we are!" Quistis relaxly said as she entered the place.

"Yeah. Here we are." Rinoa took in a deep breath and followed Quistis inside, as if she was going to face and fight Ultima alone with nothing but her bare hands.

Inside, they were surrounded by alot of people, mostly were students from Deling High. Rinoa got partly nervous at first when she couldn't find Quistis, and partly relieved that she had a perfect excuse to back-out. Unfortunately, it was Quistis who found her first as she grabbed Rinoa hand to pull her out of the hungry mob.

Without even looking at Rinoa, the blonde rescuer lead her towards a table surrounded by red chairs, occupied by five people the raven haired was scared to see; Squall and his gang minus Quistis. She tried to hide herself behind Quistis, but someone found her too quickly.

"Rinoa!" Selphie yelled in joy as she rose up from the table and embraced Rinoa. "I'm so glad to see you here! Surprised actually... but, still glad!"

Rinoa hugged back and gave out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, good to see you too Selphie." She noticed everyone else looked at her, including Squall. It made her intestines churn.

"Well, good to see another pretty lady join us." Irvine said with a flirtatious tone. But Selphie and the others ignored it, and Rinoa figured it was just the way he is.

"Woohoo! Finally get to meet the famous Rinoa!" A guy with short, spiky blonde hair and a weird tatoo on his face said warmly, though Rinoa wondered what he meant by "famous". "By the way, the name's Zell. Zell Dincht." He reached out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Rinoa took his hand and shook it gleefully. _At least this one looks nice._

At the corner of her eye, she saw Seifer grinning, while the brunette loner was not even looking at her.

_Snobby meanie._

"Take a seat, Rinoa."

She immediately obliged and sat on a chair between Selphie and Quistis, safely distant from Squall and his blonde friend Seifer, who was looking at her amusingly.

Then, he asked, in a slightly sneering tone. "So what brings you here?"

Rinoa turned to Seifer and raised her eyebrows. "Uhm, I was just gonna ask Squall" The brunette quickly glanced at her, and she looked back at him. "if I can share a ride with him. To my house I mean."

Someone would've taunted Squall with her innocent remark, but no one dared to.

"Rinoa asked me if I know where Squall is, and I invited her over to have lunch with us." Quistis summarized it all for Rinoa, who shyly looked at Squall.

He was still staring at her, though for the split second that she noticed him, he looked away to his side. He was bent forward to the table, his arms folded as they were resting on the surface. Rinoa noticed that he was wearing the same black leather jacket he lent her the day before over his white shirt, with a few buttons left opened on the top. And with his usual frown, he looked like a tough gangster ready to kick some ass in just one flick of a finger. But Rinoa noticed something else in his frown, especially his eyes...

They seem a bit sad.

Suddenly, Rinoa felt Selphie grab her wrist. "We ladies are going to buy our lunch first!" She stood up as Rinoa and Quistis followed.

"Excuse us." She nodded to the guys, as she heard Zell scowl.

"Uhm," Rinoa pointed back at Zell as Selphie pulled her away from the table to the cashier. "I think Zell's hungry."

"He's always hungry." Selphie and Quistis said in chorus.

"Oh."

After several minutes of waiting in line and buying their lunch, Rinoa and her companies from 3-A finally began to eat, with Zell especially noticeable as he ate two hotdog sandwiches at once.

But Squall was silently munching on his french fries, completely ignoring his hamburger. His friends barely noticed him as they talked and laughed about the most random things. Until it got so bad to the point that Zell dared everyone to play at the place's playground after a pointless argument with his friends that they are not children anymore.

"We may be 17, but we're still kids at heart!" Selphie protested.

"Oh yeah? Then you crybabies prove that to me and play at Watt's..." Zell paused and looked at the playground's title. "Watt's Happy Place!"

"Fine! C'mon Irvine!" Selphie was provoked enough and pulled her reluctant boyfriend but his arm with her to the spot where children were seen playing with slides and bouncing with colorful plastic balls.

"Whoah whoah whoah! Selphie, Honey, calm down!"

"You're coming with them, Chicken Wuss." Seifer grinned as she stood up and pushed Zell to the playground.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Quistis sighed. "I'm gonna make sure they don't do anything stupid." And honestly, she felt stupid enough for her friends as she decided to watch over them like a nanny and followed.

Rinoa laughed at them as she clapped her hands in amusement. From the table, she watched Seifer pushing Zell down the slide, who was struggling and seemed to be whining. _Is he scared of slides?_

Selphie had reached the pool of balls, playing chase with Irvine, who seemed to be enjoying it as much as his girlfriend did.

As for Quistis, well, she seemed to be quite entertained herself as she watched her friends act like children.

Rinoa turned back to her partially eaten burger and took it in her hands. Then, at he peripheral vision, she noticed someone stayed with her on the table. Of course, it was Squall. Even Rinoa couldn't imagine him joining his friends at their crazy rampage at the children's area, but he seemed too distracted to even notice them. Also, he had not touched his burger yet, though he already finished his french fries.

Rinoa carefully stood up and walked over to Zell's chair, which was just right across Squall's, but his eyes were locked on the table and he failed to notice Rinoa sit in front of him. Then, quietly, she slid the burger closer to the brunette, whose eyes briefly shifted to his lunch then looked up to the owner of the hand that pushed it to him. He stared at Rinoa blankly without his usual frown.

"I noticed you haven't eaten yet." Rinoa told him gently, with pure concern. "Aren't you hungry?"

Squall faintly looked down. "Not really."

"Something wrong?"

Squall was a bit surprised with her question. Yes, something was bothering him since yesterday, but he didn't want anyone to know, especially not Rinoa. And never will he let her in his lifetime. He looked at her again and shook his head. "No."

"Well, I'm hungry. And I couldn't eat when you're not eating." Rinoa leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms.

Squall shot her a confusing look. "What... if you're hungry, just eat. Don't mind me."

"It makes me feel bad if I eat, knowing someone else is not eating for some reason."

"Then don't. I don't care." Squall shot back. But as soon as he did, he kicked himself for his impulsive response, especially when he remembered that he was still on hotseat for what happened the day before. Besides, he didn't apologize yet or had done anything like that.

There was a pause, and Squall looked back down at the table, not daring to look at Rinoa.

Her silence bothered him

_Damn._

Another moment had passed, and his careless action disturbed him even more, as silence grew between them.

"Choo choo!" He suddenly heard Rinoa's voice mildy squealed somewhere near him.

"Choo choo! Open up! Here comes the train!"

Squall looked at his burger, only to see it gone from its spot. Then he turned to Rinoa, who was leaning close to him with his burger in her swaying hand, playing trains to make him eat his lunch.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to feed you."

"I'm not a child anymore, I can feed myself."

"Then eat! Come on. Or else, Choo choo!"

"I don't want to eat yet!"

Rinoa ignored him. "You don't like trains? Okay then, let's try something more forceful and fast. Oh, I know! An airship! Here comes the airship!" She stretched her arm upward, ready to dive the burger into Squall's mouth. "Eeeeoooouuuuwwww!!!" She tried to imitate the sound of a jetplane.

"Hey! Stop i-"

But she was too fast. She shoved half of the burger into Squall's mouth, almost choking him in the process. Left with no other choice, he bit it off and began to chew as he sent his feeder a deadly glare. But she simply smiled at him and returned to her chair.

"Glad to you could join me." Rinoa said in a ladylike manner as she took her own burger and started to eat.

* * *

"Lets go grab some ice cream!" Half an hour later, after the rest of the group finally stopped playing (except for Zell, who was left at the pool of balls, playing with other small children), Selphie decided to get some ice cream, and grabbed Rinoa's hand.

"Uhm, I'm okay guys, you go ahead." Rinoa replied.

"Why? You don't like ice cream?" Selphie looked sadly to the raven haired.

"No! It's not like that. I like ice cream, I'm just.. a bit short in money." She left most of her money at home, which she was saving for Christmas presents. She honestly didn't know why they wanted ice cream at this cold weather, but Rinoa couldn't deny to herself that she wanted to have some too.

Selphie's mouth formed into a shape of 'O' and nodded as she understood.

She, Irvine, and the rest of the group went to the counter and ordered some ice cream. Again, leaving Rinoa and Squall alone at their table.

"Do you want some ice cream?" Squall asked in his low voice a few minutes later, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Rinoa looked at him. "Well..." She was about to say "no", but his blue, intimidating eyes demanded the truth from her.

"Yeah, an ice cream would've been nice."

Squall nodded slightly.

"I'll buy you one."

Rinoa's eyes widened. _He? Squall? Buying me ice cream?_ She shook her head. "There's no need, really I-"

"I'll buy you an ice cream." Squall impatiently said as she stood up, grabbed Rinoa's hand and pulled her with him.

The contact made her freeze.

It wasn't the first time they touched each other, Rinoa remembered how she once stroked his hair back at the library. And there was also that time when he carried her, though she could hardly make out any reason why it should be memorable to her when she was forced to let him carry her. But the simple gesture of holding her hand made Rinoa feel different and secured, considering that he was Squall Leonhart. He may be Cloud's equal, but he's far more scary, unfriendly and intimidating than his competition.

Yet he was holding her, about to treat her with some ice cream.

As soon as they reached the counter, Rinoa tried her best to focus on the menu in front of them and started browsing the options she had. But before she ordered at the cashier, she had to ask Squall something first.

"What are you getting?"

Without looking at Rinoa, he replied. "No, I don't eat ice cream."

"Then I'm not going to get one either." Rinoa stubbornly crossed her arms for the second time that afternoon.

Squall sighed. He turned and looked at her. "It would be a waste of food and money if I get something I won't eat."

"And it would be unfair if the person who's going to pay my ice cream won't get himself an ice cream. So we're just wasting our time here if you're not getting yourself an ice cream."

The guy behind the cashier looked at the two arguing costumers confusingly, who were locked at each other's glares.

But it was Squall that admitted defeat. "Fine. I'll get what she's having."

Rinoa smiled in her victory.

"Two chocolate sundaes please."

"I like mine in a cup." Squall cut in.

Rinoa smirked. "So you don't like ice cream, eh?" She whispered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." She smiled at the brunette.

After Squall paid and had their ice cream, they headed back to their place. Then, Rinoa spotted a tall table with a pitcher of water.

"You go ahead Squall, I'll go get us some water." He nodded as she went to the stall where the pitcher stood beside a pile of plastic cups.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her shoulders and turned her around violently.

It was that blonde girl, Leblanc, and her minions.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from my boys?"

Rinoa was stunned to see her, still distressed from their first encounter, when Tifa suddenly appeared and saved her. "Which part of it didn't you understand?" She hissed and pushed Rinoa, who accidentally dropped her ice cream to the floor, staining her shirt in the process. The blonde bully chuckled at the sight of it.

"You stupid, little girl. You don't even know who you're messing with."

"Leblanc, Seifer is coming." The blonde's brown haired friend said worriedly.

"Next time I see you, you will regret for even knowing them." Leblanc said in a warning tone. Then, her group walked away, disappearing in the crowd.

Rinoa was stunned. She knew Leblanc hated her, she made it clear yesterday after she walked out the cafeteria. But she didn't know that she hated her that much, just for being seen close to "her" Squall and Cloud. She looked down her white shirt, which was smudged with brown ice cream and grumbled. Rinoa took a nearby tissue from the stall, and began rubbing it against her shirt to remove the excess dairy.

"Hey, Rinoa," the raven haired looked up, and her heart stopped to see Seifer approaching.

"Squall sent me to hel-" He stared at her shirt. Then he gave her a puzzled look. "What happened to your shirt?"

"Uh..." Rinoa quickly thought of a simple, good excuse. "my ice cream. It slipped from my hands."

"Oh." Seifer replied, but he didn't believe it. "Well, let me buy you another one-"

"No no no!" Rinoa decided not to accept any more freebies. "I'm fine, really." She nodded with assurance. "I'll just go get some water."

"Yeah, I got it." Seifer approached the stall, took some cups and filled them with water from the pitcher. "You can go back to our table now, I'll follow soon."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay, thanks."

Squall noticed her shirt too, as soon as she got back to him and the others, who also greeted the stain. But they didn't buy her excuse either. And Squall was especially bad at hiding his doubt.

"It's true!" Rinoa tried to convince him. "I was careless. I know you bought it for me, and I'm sorry."

Squall stared at her for another few seconds, without removing the same expression on his face. Then, he slid his ice cream cup in front of her.

Rinoa instantly knew what he was trying to do. "No, Squall, it's yours-"

"Let's share."

Rinoa was taken aback. She looked at his sundae and saw that he already ate a small part of it, which only meant that he probably liked it. Also, it only had one spoon, and if they shared, they'll have to share the spoon too.

Moreover, Rinoa couldn't believe that he was sharing it with her.

But she already felt bad for the lame excuse she told him, which was supposed to be as if it was her fault, concealing Leblanc completely in the story. Besides, she should make it up to him, at least for buying her an ice cream and say "yes" in everything he asked from her. So if he said they'll share, then she **should** eat Squall's ice cream with him just because he said so. Then again, things don't work that fast, so she tested him again.

"No, really, I'm goo-"

"We will share." Squall said with finality in his voice as he looked at her intently

_So he was being serious._

And that was exactly how it went. They shared their ice cream, though awkwardly, sharing one spoon, as the rest of the group secretly watched them, careful not to disturb their friend Squall's moment.

It felt more like a date than a simple get-together lunch to Rinoa. She spend most of her time with Squall, playing "who's the most stubborn", though the score was a draw, so far. She looked at their ice cream, bashfully took a scoop and ate it.

Squall, on the other hand, wasn't really sure of what he was doing. The only logical thing for him to do when he saw Rinoa come back without an ice cream was stand up and buy her another one. But no, something pushed him to share his ice cream with her instead. Not only that, he denied her rejection of his sharing idea. Twice.

Either way, he was rather enjoying his ice cream as they took turns in eating the chocolate sundae.

But his moment was shortly interrupted by a vibration from Rinoa's cellphone. Squall quickly sat up as Rinoa searched for her phone.

She took it from her bag and flicked it open. "Hello?... Robert!... Oh, you're coming right now?" Rinoa's shoulders suddenly slouched down and gave Squall a sad look. He realized she didn't want to go yet. And neither did he.

"Oh okay, uhm-"

Squall suddenly grabbed the phone from Rinoa's hands, who looked at him disbelievingly.

"Good afternoon Robert, this is Squall Leonhart, Rinoa's friend. She's still eating here with me and my friends at this food place, Watt's. I'll bring her home as soon as she's done.... Yes, there's nothing to worry about, I promise... Good day."

He closed it and handed Rinoa her phone. He stared at her, silently telling that it was done and dealt with. Rinoa gave him an approving look and giggled at him. Squall grinned back at her.

Zell, who just got back from the playground, sat beside Seifer and leaned closer to his side after he watched Rinoa and Squall exchange smiles. "Dude, Squall's smiling! That's insane!" He whispered. "Is he, like, sick?"

Seifer snickered. "Physically, no way. Mentally, maybe. Emotionally, yeah, he's terminally ill. That's why he's Puberty Boy."

* * *

Inside a suite at the seventeenth floor of Shinra's office in Deling City, Cloud was stirring the boiling tomato soup in a small pot. It was what he remembered to be his friend Terra's favorite back when they were kids. He scooped some of the liquid, poured into a bowl then placed it on a tray with a spoon and a glass of water. Carefully, he lifted it up and headed to the guest room where Terra was still slumbering quietly.

He was assigned on a brief, crucial mission in Midgar, and sadly, he needed to depart from his friend for a short while. So he decided to leave her with least something to eat once she finally wakes up.

With his eyes focused on the the tray in his hands, Cloud slowly opened the door and placed Terra's food on a table beside her bed.

Unbeknownst to him, the girl of emerald hair was already sitting up on her bed, her curious gaze following Cloud wherever he walked.

The spiky head was about to leave when he looked to check at Terra first and was startled to see her finally awake. He froze on his place and oriented himself that she was actually looking at him, as if waiting for him to say something. But as much as he wanted to, he was overwhelmed with too much mixed feelings of happiness, relief, worry, excitement, sadness and longing.

Carefully, he walked towards Terra, and sat on the floor next to her. She didn't show any fear or hesitation. She was just sitting there, on the bed in Cloud's loose, black shirt, examining the blonde guy beside her.

"Hi Terra." He started diffidently. "I'm glad you're awake." Very glad actually. "My mentor, Sephiroth, he saved you from Kefka and brought you here at Shinra office. You're safe now."

Cloud wanted to say more. There was so much he wanted to talk about with her, like how he became a SOLDIER, his school, how he planned to find her...

But a mission doesn't wait, and he had to go immediately, even if he wished to stay with her so badly.

She continued to stare at him, as if lost, as if she couldn't recall him. True, he had changed, and he would understand it if she didn't remember him. But she looked slightly different too, from the ten year old Terra he last saw. Though her round face remained, her once innocent strangely colored eyes now seemed more lost and confused. Her curly green hair had gone a bit longer, which she tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon. Also, she undoubtedly grew taller, though still shorter than Cloud was.

"Well, I have to go now. I'll see you soon."

"Cloud?" Her light voice cautiously asked.

He turned to her. "Yeah?"

She cried in relief and threw herself to Cloud with an embrace, who steadily put his arms around her in response. Cloud then closed his eyes and tightened his hug on his long lost friend. He was very happy to be with her again.

* * *

**A/N**: Please don't kill me! .


	13. The Warmth and Cool of Winter

**Disclaimer:** I do know own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** Well, here it is! Sorry for the delay, many things held me up. Especially the Christmas rushed shopping. *sighs*. I know there may be some of you guys who did not enjoy the previous chapter, but I do hope you'll enjoy this one. I'm ESPECIALLY looking forward to write the next chapter, a Christmas special. :3

Thank you for those who reviewed and and read my story. You guys help me carry on. ^^

But I especially want to acknowledge _MonMonCandie_ for continuously giving me her support. Thanks buddy. :3

* * *

It was the twenty-second of December, three days before the whole world celebrates the most anticipated day of the year; Christmas.

And Rinoa was running out of time.

She groaned as she looked on her Christmas list, which reminded her that there are still alot of people she had not bought presents to yet. Even worse, she didn't know what to get for them. It would undoubtedly be easier for her if she had at least something in mind for each. Like Seifer for example. She had no idea what to get him. She thought of a shirt, or maybe a hat, since they are the default gifts. Only problem was, she didn't know his size nor his type. And the same went for the rest of the list. She barely knew what they wanted or preferences.

She inhaled deeply. "It's the thought that counts." She reminded herself calmly. "Anything should do, as long as they know I remembered them on Christmas day."

The nearby marketplace, where bazaars were placed especially for the season, could hold all the answers to her problems. From her tall window, Rinoa could clearly see it, though to her dismay, it was filled with people who were also undergoing their last minute of Christmas rush. The place was practically in chaos, and she was going to get herslef into it.

Quickly, the raven haired Caraway grabbed her list and placed it inside her small, blue sling bag. Then, she put on her black boots and headed outside her room.

From the hallway, she could hear her father's voice enganged in a casual conversation with someone else, who Rinoa wondered if they had a guest for that morning,and felt ashamed that she had to leave so soon too. Slowly and carefully, the took steps down the staircase, and through the railings, she spotted someone's head with a long, dark brown hair, tied in a ponytail. He was definitely not her father, though he seemed familiar to her. She took more steps down until she reached the floor. As soon as she did, General Caraway turned to his daughter and greeted her with a smile.

"Rinoa! Come greet your Uncle Laguna here!" The General waved at her.

His guest, the President of Esthar, turned around as well and gave Rinoa a wide smile. "Hey hey Rinoa!" Laguna quickly walked to the Caraway mistress and took her hand in greeting. "Really nice to meet you again!"

"It's so nice to meet you again too, Uncle Laguna." Rinoa returned a shy smile. Then, she noticed how the eyes of the man before her shifted to the sling bag she was carrying.

"You're going somewhere?" He nodded at her bag.

"Uh..." Rinoa replied dumbly. She WAS going somewhere, but it would be rude now that her father had a guest.

"It would be great if you stay, Honey." There was that underlying tone in General Caraway's statement, as if he was actually commanding his daughter to stay, rather than pleading.

"Not to worry my dear!" Laguna cheerfully shook his head, assuring her that he understood. The General looked at him disbelievingly. "Go on ahead! I even have an escort for you!"

_And escort?_ Rinoa thought.

"Where are you going?" Laguna asked her in a suddenly intent tone.

"Uhm, the marketplace. I'm going Christmas sho-"

"Then the marketplace it is!" He's suddenly back to his cheerful self. Rinoa chuckled a bit at the man's unseriousness. "How to you want to go there? Flying? Or by Squall's car?"

_... Squall's car?_

"What about my car?"

A familiar, tall brunette suddenly appeared from the lobby of the Caraway mansion. The calm and kind expression on his face hid the genuine and unwilling intention of his tone. Rinoa scowled at his usual foul attitude.

"I'll just walk, Uncle, thank you." Rinoa bowed her head slightly, rejecting the President's offer and proving herself independent from his son's help all in all. Besides, she missed her Christmas walks back when she lived in Winhill.

"Hey, I said no bowing!" Laguna said playfully, though Rinoa thought she was being scolded.

"I'm sorry..." She bowed again.

Laguna suddenly laughed. Rinoa could honestly swear she didn't understand the man at all, but she sure didn't mind him anyway. She simply giggled with him.

The General, who felt like he was took on by two people against a single him, was not able to do anything more to stop his daughter from going.

"Very well." He finally nodded approvingly to his daughter.

"OH! And Uh... before you go..." Laguna began looking around as if searching for someone.

"Yes Uncle?"

"Squall." He called, tilting his head to his son's direction. "Go with her."

Squall sighed deeply. _I knew he'd say that, _he thought.

"Laguna, he didn't need to go with Rinoa. He can stay here if he wishes to. I'm sure Rinoa can take care of herself." General Caraway shook the matter off with his hand. Rinoa nodded in agreement.

"Nah, General. Let my boy here at least make up for the hospitality you have for us." Laguna turned his head to his son and raised his eyebrows to confirm his order.

Squall restrained himself from saying "Why don't you do it?" in respect for their host. Instead, he tried his best to put an obedient smile and walked by Rinoa's side.

"Alright."

* * *

There was an awkward silence between the two, as they strolled along the streets of Deling City. They were not even walking side by side, with Rinoa being left behind Squall, who walked faster than she did. But the raven haired didn't mind, she was in no mood to talk to him, especially that she was supposed to be walking alone in the first place. Still, she couldn't say "no" to the nice and charming Laguna.

Rinoa had not seen Squall or heard anything about him since five days ago when she last encountered him at Watt's. He was sweet, though still a bit mean that afternoon, but nevertheless... sweet. She quite enjoyed his company and the ice cream they had together that day. But now, with the impatient mood he was wearing, Squall was being such a big irritation walking with her to the marketplace.

"Can't you walk any faster?" Squall asked, without looking at Rinoa. It was more of a command than a question, but as much as she wanted to ignore it, she couldn't help herself but to counter him.

"I'm supposed to walk alone, you know. If it wasn't for Uncle Laguna, I would've insisted to go alone without you. Besides, it's not like you're my bodyguard." She replied irritably.

Squall stopped, and turned around to face her. "Good point. Why don't you have a bodyguard?" He asked plainly, though Rinoa could detect the sarcasm in his voice, as if saying that if she had a bodyguard, then he should not be doing the work of escorting her to her Christmas shopping.

"Because Deling City is a perfectly safe place, for your information." Rinoa crossed her arms against her chest, pressing her point. "Besides, why don't YOU have a bodyguard?"

"Same reason as yours." He said coldly. "I don't need bodyguards."

Rinoa eyed him curiously. "You? The son of Esthar's President? Even Uncle Laguna has those men... what are their names? Kiros and Ward?"

"I'm not the President of Esthar."

"Yeah, but, compared to mine, your life is far more valuable." Rinoa shrugged.

Squall's eyes narrowed as he stared at her amusingly, she was looking right back at him stubbornly. The brunette let out a low "hmm" before turning around and carried on walking. His female company folowed shortly.

"I can take care of myself." Squall murmured, in a voice only Rinoa can hear. "I think these people should be more afraid of me when I'm around." He grinned.

The raven haired rolled her eyes. _Such a vain answer._

They have reached the marketplace, a few minutes later, and true enough, it was crowded with people. However, Squall did not leave her side. Firmly, he took Rinoa's hand and pulled her with him as they fought their way into the crowd. Rinoa felt embarrassed at first, she thought he shouldn't be bothering helping her like that, though his gesture was a bit unexpected.

As they forced their way in, they passed by a few stalls, and Rinoa took advantage of their slow pace to check some stuffs being sold. They kept walking until a stall, one that sold small treasures and trinkets, caught her attention.

"Squall!" Rinoa shouted through the crowd. "Squall, stop!"

It took a while before Squall realized that Rinoa was calling to him. He turned around to look at her and saw his companion eyeing on a stall nearby. He released his grip from Rinoa, allowing her to do whatever business she had for it.

That was how her shopping began.

And it ended wih Squall carrying all the shopping bags for Rinoa.

He was surprisingly not complaining the whole time they were at the bazaar, though Rinoa could tell he was already tired. She checked her watch and realized that they (or rather she) had been shopping for almost two hours. And even the raven haired girl needed some air to at least refresh herself and her friend.

She approached Squall. "Let's get out of here." The brunette nodded before Rinoa took his hand and pulled him out of the place.

They spotted a bench and decided to rest there for a while. Quietly, Squall handed all the bags to Rinoa, who put them all beside her. She took out her list and checked almost everyone she bought gifts for. There were only two people whom she was yet to find gifs to...

Cloud and Squall.

Shyly, she kept her list back into her bag, careful that Squall might notice it.

She glanced at him to check, only to see him staring directly at a far distance. He was wearing that frown again, and Rinoa instantly knew he was thinking of something. She just hoped it wasn't unpleasant. It didn't fit his peaceful blue eyes...

Rinoa stared at the same direction he was looking at and watched the snow fall charmingly. For some reason, maybe out of exhaustion or the warmth the Christmas Spirit brought her, Rinoa felt nostalgic. Every Christmas she had with her mother back in her hometown have all been memorable. Even if she was ready to welcome all the new things being in Deling City brings to her, it didn't mean she should completely forget what she had in Winhill. After all, she was still a new resident to the place, and she was yet to know how the whole system goes in the City.

She took a deep sigh as she let herself get lost in her thoughts. Then, almost unconsciously she suddenly opened her mouth and let words escaped it.

"I miss Winhill."

She almost forgot that he was just beside her, but she didn't mind him. She carried on.

"I miss the snow there, the special events that we had every Christmas season..." A smile suddenly crossed her cheek. "the dances we had, the foods and treats, the giant Christmas trees, the snowmen we built..." Now that she said the last two, she couldn't see a decorated Christmas tree or a single snowman around. Everyone was too busy to even bother with that at least. It made her even more sad.

Rinoa sighed, taking in all what was was left of Christmas spirit in the air. "I wonder... when will I have those again?"

For the first time in a while, Squall responded.

"You're lucky." He said, in his low, shy voice.

Rinoa glanced at him curiously. "Hmm?"

"You're lucky you experienced them much longer than I did." He blinked quickly, about twice as he remained staring at the far distance.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa was confused now.

The brunette closed his eyes painfully. "I used to live in Winhill too."

The eyes of the raven haired widened in surprise, though in a pleasant and shocking way. "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "It was during those times, when Esthar was still in this big war with Dollet. It was a mess."

Squall looked at Rinoa, and saw her eyes on him, asking to continue with the story he started. And he obliged.

"My mom and I used to transfer from places to place. We tried to hide from the Dollet superiors who were against my father, those who wanted to kill us, while he stayed in Esthar to try and sort things out. One of the places we stayed for a considerable length of time was Winhill. I was six then.

"It was one of the memorable places I've been to during our runaway episodes." He bashfully admitted. "I remember knowing this girl there, about my age. I was sitting on the bridge when she appoached me. I don't remember anything else about her, except her long, black hair and cheerful smile. She asked me to play with her, and I refused at first. But she was being so persistent that I eventually gave in." He chuckled at the memory of his child self. "We played 'Who Gets the Most Wildberries', and I won. I had fun, and I even promised the girl to meet her the next day so we could play again. But we never did. That night, we had to leave and transfer to another town... again."

There was a long pause. Squall began to muse on what happened to that girl, as Rinoa waited for him to carry on with his story. But it would seem like she had to trigger him again. "Where did you go then?"

Squall looked down to his lap. "We went to Trabia, thinking that it was the safest place. The General there swore to my dad that he will surround us with his best soldiers, and he had been true to his word. But not long after, the Dollet soldiers found us. My mom..." He paused. Rinoa figured it was a bad and sad memory and she was a bit worried if making him continue was actually a good idea. But he proceeded with it in the end. "she hid me to a secret place at the ceiling. And when I heard those bastards barge in, I peeked through a small hole and..." His hands formed into fists. "I saw how they mercilessly showered my mother's body with bullets."

Rinoa gasped. She didn't know if she should tell him she was sorry, but it would never be sufficient. She understood that it was a horrible experience for him and she honestly didn't know what to say.

And then, came the uneasy silence. She wished she could do something, anything to ease his pain. Yes, he should let go, but losing someone as special as your mother takes centuries to get over with. She understood, completely. She lost her mother too.

"You know," She began, empathizing with the emotions her friend was currently dealing with. "when my mom died, sure, I cried." Rinoa could clearly remember how she cried her eyes out as she looked down on her mother's coffin at her funeral. "I wished I had dad there, if only he was not rejected by my mother's relatives. And even if there were alot of them who sympathized with me, I felt alone. For most of my life, it had always been me and my mother. And now, she was gone..." She choked on her last words, trying to hold back the sob that was coming out. "But, I just kept thinking that, at least she died without nothing to regret. I knew, in everyday that I saw her smile, she was living every minute of her life as if it was her last. And when I asked her how she did it, she replied that her secret was me. Being her daughter was the best thing that happened to her, and she would do anything for me." With slightly wet eyes, Rinoa turned to Squall. "Your mom, she died trying to protect you. Because you were the best thing that happened in her life. I don't know your mother, except that she had spent many years of her life into hiding, but I'm sure that she was just as wonderfu as mine, and she did those willingly for you. She may be gone now, but she sure did everything she could do in her life. She swore to fulfill them all the moment she had you. And I'm sure she was able to do them."

Rinoa did not have the confidence to her statement, though she hoped it somehow gave Squall a bit of comfort. The brunette did not show any sign that the words Rinoa said had affected him, but they made him miss his mother terribly. He was sure about one good thing about his mother; she should be happy looking over him from wherever she was.

He shook his head out of his thoughts. "We should get going now. I'm kinda hungry."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay."

Both stood up, almost in unison, and Rinoa reached for her bags. But Squall beat her to it and took them from the bench. She didn't protest anymore and let him do whatever he wanted. So, to make herself useful, she looked around in search for a good place to eat, and spotted a restaurant a few meters from where they were standing.

Rinoa raised her hand and pointed at it. "Does that look good to you?"

Squall shrugged. "Yeah, whatever's fine with me."

The cold of the winter was taking effect on Rinoa, and she involuntarily rubbed her hands against each other for warmth. The brunette seemed to notice.

"Wait." He placed the bags down back to the bench and removed his black, leather gloves. "Here." Squall handed them to Rinoa, who hesitantly took them.

"Thanks." She replied and wore the warmers. They were kind of big on her, but they were warm enough, especially after being worn by someone else's hands.

It didn't take them long to reach the nearby restaurant, though before they entered, Rinoa noticed a jewelry shop located right next to it. Through the large glass window, she could see diamond studded necklaces, bracelets and earrings, but only one caught her attention. At the sidemost corner sat a plain, silver ring. Squall saw her staring at it, and even thought she would buy it when he saw her enter the shop. Unexpectedly, he followed her inside.

There were long, glass boxes rested on black tables, which secured even more jewelries. Rinoa did not ask for assistance, but she continues glancing around, examining every treasure present. Suddenly, she stopped at the section with jewelries especially made for men. Squall watched her talk to a clerk, who gave her a large ring, fit only for a man's finger. Not long after, Rinoa nodded at the person she was negotiating with, and held out what seemed like the payment for the ring.

The brunette assumed that it was a gift for her father, General Caraway. But he wondered why Rinoa did not buy the ring she wanted in the first place.

"Where's the plain ring you've been eyeing on a while ago?" Squall asked when the raven haired finally approached him.

"Well, I didn't buy it." Rinoa saw the brunette's confusing look at her. "As part of my sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?"

She held out the small box where the ring was kept. She opened it and it revealed a ring with a lion engraved on it. Squall silently admitted to himself that the girl got good taste.

"This ring, I plan to give this to the person meant for me." She carefully brushed her finger against the engraving. "As part of my sacrifice for him, I bought this instead of that ring I wanted."

Squall didn't care, but he had the sudden urge to know. So he asked. "Why do you have to do this now? You haven't even met him. I think."

Rinoa giggled and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's out of my loneliness."

_Loneliness?_

"I mean, look at my friends, Yuna and Tidus. Just thinking how they will spend the Christmas together makes me... well... jealous. And look at Irvine and Selphie. I can imagine a very wonderful and happy Christmas for them. And I wanted that same thing too, you know."

Rinoa timidly turned to Squall and smiled as she closed the box and returned it to her pocket. "Maybe I'm just being too excited. But, well, who knows when he'll come."

"Don't you think you're just being a bit too... dramatic? You don't even know if it will work out. Hell, you don't even have an idea who he is, yet you're saying things like sacrificing, when in the end, you'll just be all alone again. And hurt."

"But that's all part of being in love." Rinoa paused for a moment and though about what she said, slightly embarrassed for talking about something that personal to someone like Squall. "Or at least that's what I heard. Either way, it's all part of the risk of loving someone. Still, I think it will all be worth it, because almost everyone told me that being in love is the best thing in the world."

"Yeah, whatever." Squall shook the matter off.

Rinoa sighed. "Okay, how about this." She reached of of the bags from Squall's left hand and rummaged it. She then took out a small bottle, with a tiny piece of paper rolled inside. "I initially bought this for that guy. I plan to write my confession on the paper and then give it to him when I meet him. But since you're such a doubter of love, I'll make a deal with you." Rinoa placed the bottle inside the pocket on Squall's black trousers. "I'll give it to you, as part of my present. Don't worry, it's blank." Squall's eyes rolled. "Give it to a girl, any girl you like. Could be that little girl you told me about you played with in Winhill, or... just, any girl."

"Then?" He asked, in a tone that Rinoa didn't quite understand. It was either purely questioning, irritated or confused.

"Then, you tell me what happens. Prove to me why I'm being so 'dramatic' right now to you. Honestly, I do think you're quite lonely yourself."

"You don't know me to say something like that."

"Maybe I don't. Or maybe, somehow I do."

"Whatever." Both said in chorus, with Rinoa imitating Squall. She giggled as he groaned.

"Let's go get something to eat."

The venue where they planned to eat their lunch was fortunately not as filled with people. At the farther part of the place, they located a small table between two couches and agreed to sit there. Almost immediately, they were given two menus by a waitress, whom Rinoa caught winked at Squall. The raven haired found herself smiling when Squall did not even look at their server.

"Are you ready to order now Sir? Ma'am?"

Rinoa browsed over the menu and spotted her all time favorite.

"I'll have a Chicken Marsala please. And a glass of raspberry iced tea."

The waitress nodded as she jotted down Rinoa's choices on a small piece of paper in her hand.

"How about you, Sir?" He wore an even wider grin when she glanced at Squall.

"I'll have Pork ala Orange, some potato salad, a hamburger and one of your sodas please."

Rinoa's eyes widened in disbelief. _This guy IS hungry._

After the waitress wrote all Squall's orders and left, Rinoa noticed the restaurant's pastry bar far behind the brunette.

"I'll be right back." She winked at Squall and stood up. He nodded.

All the pastries, the creampuffs, the cupcakes, and brownies, were all arranged beautifully behind the glass window by the counter. Rinoa browsed in awe, drooling inwardly. She made a mental note to buy some before leaving.

"How much are these?" a voice nearby asked the cashier. It was familiar... too familiar.

Rinoa turned to the direction of the voice. And gasped.

A few feet from her, he stood in his dark, blue sweater and black pants with those black shades that contrasted with his pale skin and blonde, spikey hair.

"Cloud?"

The guy turned to Rinoa, his eyes furrowed at her. "Rinoa?"

"Cloud!" The black haired one turned her body to him and put on an excited smile. She had not seen him for quite a while, and their parting at school wasn't a very pleasant one. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh..." Cloud removed his shades, revealing his relieved sky-blue eyes. Clearly, he was pleased to see her as well. "I was buying some food for a friend of mine." He returned her smile with a small, shy one. "What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?"

"No, I'm..." Rinoa suddenly remembered that she was with that person's enemy. She thought about lying, but Cloud never lied to her. Not that she knew of anyway. She knew he'll discover in the end anyway, and Rinoa hoped there won't be any fight this time.

"I'm with Squall." She finally admitted.

Cloud's smile suddenly faded, and a frown began to replace it. "Oh."

"Would you like to join us?" Rinoa nodded at him encouragingly.

"Oh, no. It's fine, I have to go back now anyway." Cloud grabbed his paper bag and turned to leave the restaurant. Then, almost immediately, he went around and faced Rinoa again. "Actually, I'll come with you."

* * *

There was a glaring contest again, right across the table. Squall has not touched his meal yet, Cloud, who was sitting right beside his black haired classmate did not order from the waitress, and Rinoa was carefully nibbling on her chicken, slowly regretting ever inviting Cloud with her. She was just being polite when she asked him to join her and Squall. Rinoa was quite relieved when he was about to leave at first, but she couldn't turn him away either when he suddenly changed his mind. After all, shouldn't it be an enough reason for him not to come with her when she told him that she was with Squall?

"Uhm, Squall, you can eat now." Rinoa gently reminded the brunette, whose frown, directly focused on his rival, could scare a T-Rex away.

Squall slowly grabbed his knife and gripped it tightly, as if he was about to kill the blonde with it. Then, with his free hand, he took his fork, began slicing his pork and ate it, while still looking daggers with the guy beside Rinoa.

Cloud took advantage of the moment while Squall was busy eating and he wanted to play with him a bit. Carefully, he raised his arm and place it on top of the couch's rest behind Rinoa, making it look like to the brunette sitting across the table that his arm were around his raven haired company, though she was unaware of it. And even without the blonde's taunting smirk, Squall was boiling with anger and annoyance inside, but he did his best to remain composed.

Another moment has passed, and their table was silent. Nobody was talking, and it was making Rinoa extremely uncomfortable. She honestly felt sorry for each of them. After she had finished with her Chicken Marsala, she decided to break the silence.

"What are you guys planning for Christmas?" she asked as lively as she can to bring their spirits up.

It was Cloud who first responded to her question. "Nothing, really." He glanced at Rinoa, who looked back at him. "If you want to come over at my place, then you can. It will be more interesting."

Squall gritted the pork between his teeth.

"Oh, I would love to! But, I think my dad has other plans on that day for us." Rinoa responded, actually glad that Cloud helped to lift the mood up. At least he did to her anyway. "But thank you anyway."

The brunette stopped himself from smirking at her reply. _That's right, you moron._

"So, what have you been doing lately?" Cloud asked Rinoa plainly, though it was his casual tone.

"I've been Christmas shopping... with Squall." Rinoa smiled and nudged at Squall, who was starting with his hamburger. "I bought gifts for almost everyone on my list."

"I see." Cloud nodded. "Did you buy anything for me?" He grinned playfully.

"Ah. Good question." Rinoa raised her index finger at him. "I don't exactly know what to get you. I don't have ANY idea what you want!"

Cloud chuckled. "That's okay. Anything that comes from you should be good to me." He stared at her intently with smiling, aquamarine eyes. Rinoa looked away, giggling as she blushed.

Squall couldn't take the sight of them together anymore. He was ready to puke, not in disgust, but in overwhelming anger that boiled up inside his system. His brain died for a second after he saw how the two acted, as if they were a couple. He reflexively stood up, took out a thousand gil and left it on the table, then walked out of the place.

"Squall?" Rinoa was perplexed with how Squall suddenly stormed off from their table. After excusing herself from the blonde, she stood up and followed Squall. But the moment she stepped outside, she couldn't seem to find him anywhere. What made it even more difficult to spot him was the drastic increase of number of people walking around the streets of the city.

"Squall?" Rinoa cried out again, a bit louder this time. With much effort, she tried to search for his brown, shaggy hair from the throng. She began to walk and passed by a few stores where she looked for Squall, but found no sign of him. Rinoa walked further, and wasn't sure how far she already was from the restaurant, where she left Cloud and all the things she bought from the bazaar. But somehow, she just had to find Squall, she felt responsible for what happened, for why he walked away. After all, it was she who invited Cloud over, even if she knew it was definitely a bad idea.

Finally, she reached an isolated and quiet place, where not a single person could be found. Though strangely enough, there was a big, round fountain standing right at the middle, where people should be hanging around at, especially those lovers.

Rinoa knew Squall liked quiet places where people don't usually go to, she noticed that everytime she encountered him at the library, where he stayed between a row of bookshelves where people barely visit. She turned at every corner of the place, and still couldn't see anything of him.

Tired, from all the shopping, the awkwardness at lunch, and for searching, Rinoa sat at the ledge of the fountain. It was cold sitting beside water, obviously, especially during winter. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands.

"Damn Squall, where are you?" She whispered, in a tone only she could here.

"Remember what I told you the other day?"

Rinoa looked up at the owner of the squeaky voice she recognized, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was Leblanc, standing right in front of her and before Rinoa could react, she felt the strong force from the bully's hands push her chest, and the next thing she knew, thousands of ice-cold knives pierced through her entire body.

And that she was drowning.

* * *

Squall found the perfect spot where he wanted to be alone at a hidden alley near the big fountain. He sat on the ground, folded his one knee and rested his head on it. He was rushed with irrational emotions that quickly took over him. Cloud had always done those kind of things to him, but never did he go through them as affected as he was right now. He felt fuming at his rival for ruining his day... his time with her. It was going well, though not as genial as she had wanted it, but still good. Until Cloud arrived at their table. He may have forgiven his mere presence, but the way he looked at Rinoa, and the way she responded favorably, they were what made Squall fume. He would like to think that it was all because they were good friends, but it wasn't what they showed today.

He didn't want to think that he was jealous, at least he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't. Watching them somehow upset him, especially when Cloud started by extending his arm behind Rinoa, as if telling the brunette that she was off-limits.

_The nerve._

Then, he realized that she must have thought that he was, indeed, jealous of Cloud. But he didn't want her to think like that. Squall had always shielded himself and his emotions away from the world, allowing no one to touch them except himself, though even he wanted to keep himself from cradling his emotions. He didn't want to experience the pain of being ripped off with a big part of him by a loss of someone.

_Should I go back?_, he asked himself.

But if he comes back, it would mean giving up his pride and making himself a fool in front of his enemy.

Suddenly, from his peripheral vision, he saw someone swiftly pass by. He took in the person's black hair and small figure. If he wasn't wrong, it should be Rinoa. She must be looking for him.

He thought for a moment if he should show himself to her, but he wanted some time alone too. In the end, he stood up anyway and began walking out of the alley to her direction. But she wasn't alone anymore.

She was sitting on the end of the fountain, and in front of her was his favorite stalker, Leblanc. She seemed to be talking to Rinoa, though Squall knew it was bad news. Leblanc had never been the friendly one to any other girl Squall interacted with, except Quistis and Selphie.

He began walking cooly to their direction with a plan to interrupt whatever they were conversing about. Until the blonde girl pushed Rinoa into the cold, freezing water of the fountain.

"Rinoa!" Squall began running as fast as he could as he slid his coat off him. He threw it aside and jumped in. It only took him seconds to find Rinoa and wasted none from taking himself and the poor girl out of the painfully freezing water. Gently, with shaking arms caused by the cold water, he place the trembling Rinoa on the ledge of the cascade where she was last sitting before climbing himself out. Quickly, he took his coat, wrapped Rinoa in it and carried her in his arms.

"Squall, I-" Leblanc stummered. "I'm sorry- it wasn't my fault- she-"

"Don't you ever dare..." Squall shot her a deadly look, a glare that her hoped she'll never forget for the rest of her life. A deadly stare that sent her a message. "show your face to me again."

With that, he left the startled Leblanc and ran his way to the Caraway's mansion.

* * *

The brunette rushed to the nearest bathroom as soon as he got inside the mansion, though he didn't come unnoticed. Dripping wet, covered in white frosts and with the unconscious Rinoa in his arms, the two adult men instantly sensed trouble.

"Squall!" Laguna, who was sitting on a dining chair across the General, quickly stood up and walked to Squall. Rinoa's father followed.

"What happened?"

Squall did not reply. The moment he reached the bathroom, he landed Rinoa in the bathtub with him and turned the knob of the shower to "hot". The warm water eased the cold inside their bodies, as if immediately melting the ice they felt beneath their skins.

"Rinoa!" Squall called and held her face between his hands. Panickly, he brushed her hair as well, attempting to extract every bit of consciousness from her.

"Rinoa!" He distressly yelled again. He rubbed Rinoa's chest rapidly, helping her lungs breathe again.

Finally, Rinoa desperately gasped for air, and choked in the process. She coughed on Squall's chest, and half opened her eyes as she continued to fight for air. The brunette unforeseenly embraced her in great relief, glad that he was at least not too late from saving her. "Rinoa..." he whispered through her hair as he safely rocked her back and forth in his arms.

* * *

Squall and Rinoa were brought to the mansion's fireplace room after the warm shower they took to save themselves from hypothermia. General Caraway lent some of his clothings to Squall so he could change his wet ones, while Rinoa was assisted by some of the maids to get changed as well.

Both were given a thick blanket each as they sat on a couch in front of the flames, prepared for them to warm up with. Rinoa extended her arms towards the fire, giving her cold hands some hot treatment, while Squall carried on focusing his blue eyes on the dancing blaze before him.

"How long has she been bullying you?" With a low voice, he asked.

Rinoa turned to him warily. She didn't want him or Cloud to know anything about that. It was nothing she considered to be important to them.

"Not... long." She replied awkwardly.

"How long?" He repeated, though he didn't change his plain tone.

Rinoa felt suddenly obliged to answer him. She turned back to the fire. "Seven days."

"How can you be so reckless?" The brunette loured at her. "How can you walk on your own with someone like Leblanc luring at you with all those intentions in mind?"

"Well, it would not have happened if you did not run away." Rinoa refuted at him.

"That's not the point, Rinoa." Squall frowned at began massaging the bridge of his nose. "Why do you let Leblanc bully you?"

"That's not your problem." Rinoa crossed her arms.

"It IS my problem!" He raised his voice a bit, careful not to overdo it. "I know, without a doubt, that the reason she had been bullying you was because of me and Cloud!" Squall waved his arm upward to stress his point.

"But I wasn't thinking about that, was I?" Rinoa turned to Squall and raised an eyebrow. "I was worried about you because you suddenly walked out on me, just like that. Without a word."

Squall knew they weren't going anywhere with their conversation... again. So he decided to stop answering back. Rinoa, annoyed with everything that happened to her for the day, turned her eyes back to the flames and grabbed on her blanket tightly.

"I'm sorry..." Squall apologetically said to the one beside him. "for leaving you like that."

"Where were you?" The brunette hoped Rinoa wouldn't ask him that question, but she still did.

"None of your-"

"business?" Rinoa cut him. He didn't react.

"Squall..." she put her hand on his back and rubbed it slightly. "please understand that Cloud is my friend." The brunette's frown deepened. "I couldn't just push him away. He appeared at the restaurant." Squall let out a small sarcastic laugh. "No, he wasn't stalking me, he was buying something for his friend." This time, he raised his eyebrows. "I invited him to join us for lunch, that's why he suddenly appeared at our table."

There was a long pause. Rinoa waited for Squall's answer, but he did not even look at her.

"Whatever you say." Was his only reply. She noticed that he was not angry anymore. His relaxed expression told her that he was somehow relieved that everything's alright in the end, although she wasn't sure. It was unusual of Squall to think that way. Normally he wouldn't care, even if she froze to death. But him, freezing with her, warming himself like she did, it was compelling, if not touching.

She let her head rest on his shoulder, and was glad that he did not shove her away. It felt warmer for her that way, sharing the same moment with someone she cared about.

"Squall," She snuggled closer, and she felt him move slightly to make her more comfortable. "thank you... for being there."

"Rinoa..." He murmured mildy. "please don't do anything careless again."

Rinoa grinned. "I'll try."

There was another long pause. Silence filled the room, and both could only hear the burning sound of the flames against the logs. By some means, Rinoa felt uneasy with their position. It felt too... intimate.

"Squall," Rinoa raised her head and sat straight. "do you still have that bottle?"

Squall did not turn to her, but he nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you have anyone in mind?" Her question almost got caught in her throat.

The brunette's eyes narrowed. "Maybe."

Rinoa got even more curious. _Could it be Quistis? Or maybe Leblanc? Or some other girl from 3-A that I don't know of? Or maybe even Paine... _Whoever it was, she felt her chest tighten that it almost gave out a sob. For some reason, she wanted to get that bottle from him, but she was utterly sure that it will never be possible, and her Christmas-longing syndrome was not helping her. Rinoa swallowed and acted like his answer did not affect her. She asked him again.

"When are you gonna give it to her?" She was hoping that he'd say "never" or "no way am I going to give it to her".

"I don't know..." Squall shook his head. It wasn't the answer Rinoa expected or anticipated.

"Oh." She pretended that she understood him.

"She..." Squall trailed off. "has someone else."

It was definitely not her.

* * *

Cloud left the restaurant, carrying all of Rinoa's shopping bags in his two hands. He felt worried and irritated for being left alone so rashly in the restaurant. After half an hour of searching in vain, he decided to head to Rinoa's house and drop all her stuffs there.

He knocked on the door a few times, and it was the master of the house who answered. Cloud wanted to take off his black shades to show his respect, but both his hands were occupied. He smiled in the most reverent way possible.

"Yes?" The General asked politely.

"Good afternoon Sir, my name is Cloud Strife. A classmate of Rinoa's." He slightly bowed his head down. "I came over to drop her things here. She left them at the restaurant while we were eating lunch."

"Ah, yes." General Caraway took he bags from Cloud's hands. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sir."

Cloud was about to turn around and leave when the General spoke again. "Uh... Cloud, was it?"

Cloud removed his shades. "Yes Sir."

"Rinoa was at the fireplace. She was pushed or something to a fountain, and Squall saved her, I dunno... the way he told us about it was kind of vague." Cloud's brows creased at the news and the General laughed nervously. "Kids today, never good at explaining things. Rinoa just went out shopping with his schoolmate and the next thing we knew, Squall was carrying her and went straight to the bathroom to take some hot shower." The blonde's eyes widened, and the General realized he chose the wrong words. "No, no, it was nothing like... you know... that. But they were freezing and dripping wet. The warm shower was like, their first aid to save themselves from Hyne knows what."

"Oh..." Cloud nodded. "Is Rinoa alright now?"

"Why yes, she's okay now. Thank you for asking." The General smiled kindly. "Would you like to come inside and see her?"

"If I may."

"Sure! By all means!"

General Caraway stepped aside and let Cloud in. After thanking Rinoa's father who gave him the directions to the fireplace, he began to walk, retaining his relaxed self. After reaching the room, he found the door opened and decided to just quietly peek in and check if Rinoa was still breathing. And he did. And she was still breathing very much, even if he only saw the back of her shoulders moving rhythmically. Only that, her head was leaning on a certain brunette's shoulder rather sweetly.

Cloud wanted to come inside and greet them to annoy Squall, but he hesitated. As much as he wanted to ruin the moment, he knew he shouldn't, for Rinoa's sake. He didn't like the sight, but there was nothing he could do. Not anymore.

Slowly and silently, he turned around and walked to the exit. _You won, Squall. I admit it, you won this time._


	14. Christmas Presents

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note**: Here it is!!! My Christmas present for all of you, my beloved readers! This chapter is also what I believed to be the most awaited part of the whole story... How's that? read to know... ^-^

I might take a short break after this chapter... There are still alot of things I need to attend to, and this holiday break will also make me very very busy... I'll be updating soon, probably on the week after next. But, if by some luck, I get to have some time to write, I'll start working on chapter 15... ^^

I would like to thank all of you who gave me obvious support for this story, _MonMonCandie, XxGoodGirlGoneTobixX, Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, Cerulean Crystal, Nami-Lass, GreenOpalus, floutistvivi, FaithFromTheMystic, Verdanii_ and _wais101_. I love you guys, you keep me inspired. :3

* * *

He was playing with the bottle Rinoa gave him between his fingers, examining it carefully. It was about the size of his thumb, with a cork sealing the small, blue paper rolled inside. Rinoa said she was supposed to give it to the guy meant for her, to the person she will love. But after buying that silver ring with a lion on it, she gave it to Squall instead, telling him to do the same with the girl he likes. By the fireplace, he admitted that there was someone in his mind, but he was careful not the reveal her identity... especially when the person listening was the same one he planned to give the bottle to.

Two days ago felt like yesterday to Squall. He could still remember the pain of jumping into the icy water of the fountain to save the drowning Rinoa, how he tried to regain her consciousness through the running lukewarm shower with the unforgettable feeling of turmoil that he almost lost her, and the fireplace he shared with her as they relaxed from the incident with the warmth that the fire did not give but the moment he had spent with her, as if it was exclusively made for them.

It bothered him how someone would think of doing something like attempting to harm her by drowning and excessive freezing. Rinoa had always been a cheerful, nice and lighthearted person, and no one would dare lay a finger on her. Not even the brute Seifer who became alot friendlier to the raven haired after he got to know her better. Clearly, the reason Leblanc ended up doing such actions was driven by her jealousy of Rinoa, after she had gone obviously closer to the two persons the blonde bully was stalking so fondly, Squall and Cloud. Only someone as mad or crazy as she was would dare hurt someone as angelic as Rinoa. Well, Squall considered her angelic in every way that she was. Sure, she gets into his nerves sometimes, especially with her stubborn nature and childish traits. Even so, they were all part of the things he liked about her.

And he clearly had no idea why.

He only knew that every night, before he drifted off to sleep, he would recall her face. She could never be angelic enough, with her white, porcelain skin, her elegantly rounded countenance, well sculpted nose and lips, as if they were perfectly made by a passionate artist, her flowing, ebony hair...

And her eyes... her chocolate brown eyes that instantly won his heart, ever since the first time he saw her.

And in his dream, he would wish that they were all his... that she was his. But she was placed at the other class where Squall was practically forbidden to enter. Worse, his rival Cloud became one of her first friends, and the bastard had claimed her first. He admitted that Rinoa herself would instantly like him, judging by how most girls at Deling High would seemingly kill each other to get the spiky-head's attention. Rinoa would obviously consider herself lucky for all the things that Cloud had done for her so far, which had gone way way beyond from what most girls wanted of him. And with the way she giggled and smiled at Cloud that afternoon when he suddenly appeared at the restaurant, one can only assume that she was quite as fond of him herself. Squall sighed at the thought. With the way things are, he had no chance against a classmate of Rinoa's named Cloud Strife. He should just give up and accept the fact that he will only be a family friend to her. It was much easier that way for someone like him.

His technique, though, had earned him loneliness. And he plainly blamed himself for it. He had always been used to distancing himself from people he tend to get close to, ever since his mother died. He began to believe that attachments and relationships would only cause him agony and pain. Because in the end, they will all leave, and he'll be on his own. His aloofness had been his narcotic to shield himself from the same anguish he was so scared of experiencing again. But he felt something different about Rinoa. He did not want to do his way of remoting himself away from her. He wanted, more than anything, to become a part of her life. It's as if he wanted to take the risk of the pain, just to be closer to her. And once he had her, he would not let her go. To hear her voice that lights him up, everytime. To see her smile that gave him comfort. To look into her eyes that implanted nothing but peace in him. To stroke his fingers against her hair that would give him the sense of security.

And that thought only made him lonely.

Rinoa said she was lonely herself, that was why she bought the bottle and the ring. The way she spoke about loneliness made Squall wonder how someone like her, who always surrounded herself with a stirring, light aura, would find herself lonely. It was a sad thought. She was the last person he would imagine being lonely, after she consoled him when he spoke of his mother's death. Squall saw her as someone who would see the brighter side of everything, and her sadness could only break his heart.

Squall stared at the bottle for another moment. He had no one else in mind the entire time but Rinoa. He wondered how she would react if he gave it to her. Would she be mad? Would she reject him? Or would Cloud magically appear by her side again and laugh at him for his ridiculousness of giving her the bottle that contained his confessions of helpless feelings and emotions for her?

The brunette shook the thought off his head. Carefully, as if the thing was fragile, he pulled the cork from the opening and slid the paper out of the bottle. He rolled it open to see it blank, telling him to waste no time and write on it. And he wanted to, so badly, but it will all be pointless. He had never been the type of guy who would do something sweet or romantic such as this, but being alone in his room, with all the privacy he needed, he couldn't help but fantasize himself writing on it and giving it to Rinoa.

But she already had Cloud, in her heart, he assumed that she did anyway, with the most obvious reasons. And she will undoubtedly give that nice ring to him. Though that only made it more tempting for Squall to write on the paper, since he won't be giving it to her anyway and she will never see it. He would only do himself the favor of writing his shameless confession that will give him a peace of mind, and will also be his remembrance that he fell in love with a girl, at least for once in his entire life.

Squall chuckled at himself. _Great, my first love._

Yes, he can always keep it for future use. Who knows, he could see someone else that he might like. He can always do that. But he doubted that he'll find someone as wonderful as Rinoa.

_Meh. Whatever._

He took the pen, lying on his bedside table and began to write. He immediately regretted it. Squall knew he could've done better, but the permanent ink indicated that there was no way he could erase and take it back. He read it over and over again, as he laid on his bed. It wasn't exactly what she would like to hear, but it was what he wanted to tell her. Was it enough? Should it be enough? He can always cut a small piece of blue paper somewhere and replace it. But what would he write?

With the paper inside, he placed his hand on top of his chest as she stared at his ceiling. Whatever happened in his thoughts, in his room, will stay in his room forever. No one, and nothing else but the paper knew that he fell in love with Rinoa Heartily.

He closed his eyes, as if pleased with what he did. He was finally at rest with his thoughts for the night, which was only waiting for him to express whatever he had in him through writing. Slowly, while he thought about her, he drifted to to his slumber.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Mister President."

"Merry Christmas!" Laguna cheerfully replied to one of his maids, first of the people who bothered to greet him. With an eager smile, he reached a small box to the maid, wrapped in red paper with a huge card attached to it. "A little something from me to you!"

"Thank you, Sir." The maid bowed.

Laguna stepped into an elevator, which brought him up to the floor where his son's room was located. As he entered his room, he silently tip-toed his way to reach Squall, who was still sleeping lazily on his bed. Laguna decided not to wake him up anymore and simply left his message written on a Post-it, greeting him a "Merry Christmas" and reminding him of the event that will ensue that night. He was about to leave when he noticed something blue clipped between Squall's fingers.

Curiously, he approached to look at it. It was a small piece of paper, with something written on it in black ink. The Esthar's President had never been the type who invades another person's personal things... except when he couldn't help it. And especially when it had something interesting to do with his boring son. Carefully and silently, he pulled the paper out of Squall's hand, who thankfully did not feel a thing. The brunette did not even move from his position, except for his rhythmic breathing. Laguna grinned at his success and read the paper.

And his eyes widened.

His grin grew even bigger, though smugly, and decided to steal his son's paper altogether. He browsed around the room to search for anything more that could amuse him or something else that he did not know about his son. Then, he spotted the corkless bottle on Squall's bedside table, took it and realized that the paper fitted perfectly in it. This time, he smiled naughtily, exposing his white teeth.

With great care, he rolled the paper and placed it inside the bottle. He then searched for the cork and sealed the bottle with it. Carrying the bottle in his hand, he quietly left the room like a sneaky ninja. He knew exactly who to give it to. He may be idiotic and clumsy at times, but he was much of a good father to know his son only so well.

* * *

The Caraway mansion was not as busy as it should be during Christmas. Everyone, from the maids, the butlers, and even the driver Robert, went to their respective hometowns to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones, of course, with the General's consent. He, on the other hand, headed to his daughter's room, with a medium-sized square box in hand. Quietly, careful that he might wake Rinoa in the morning of Christmas, he opened her bedroom door and approached her bed. He sat on it and gently brushed his daughter's hair. Rinoa moved slightly and slowly opened her eyes.

The General chuckled. "So you're a light sleeper." Rinoa grinned.

He kissed his daughter's forehead. "Merry Christmas." He greeted and handed her the box.

Rinoa gave him a confused smile before sitting up and looked at the box. It was obviously his present to her, but she was instantly curious what it held inside. She took it and found out that it was a clamp box, which made her even more curious since it was usually used to package jewelries. She opened it and revealed a beautiful white gold bracelet.

Rinoa gasped, and with teary eyes, she looked at the person who gave her the present. "Oh Daddy, it's beautiful!" She picked the small trinket and wore it on her wrist. She gazed at it in awe.

"Thank you Daddy!" Rinoa jumped to her father and threw him a big, warm embrace. The General hugged back. "I'm glad you like it." He said with a wide smile.

"Are you kidding? I LOVE IT!" As soon as she let go, she examined her present on her wrist again. "Thank you..."

"I don't even get a greeting?" Her father jokingly said.

"Oh!" Rinoa raised a finger as she remembered that she too prepared a present for her dad. She turned at the other side of her bed and reached for something from the floor. She turned back to the General and gave him his present in a smaller box, wrapped in green paper.

"Merry Christmas!"

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Sweetheart."

"Open it!" Rinoa nodded at him enouragingly. And he obeyed.

Carefully, he unwrapped the gift and opened the box.

"Wow!" He widened his eyes in a pleasantly surprised way as he pulled out a small, golden round clock with a long, golden chain.

"It's wonderful." He faced his daughter. "Thank you, Love."

Rinoa giggled.

Then, out of nowhere, they suddenly heard the familiar noise of engine running outside.

"Hmm... must be Laguna."

The father and daughter went downstairs and opened the mansion's main door. True enough, the huge, Ragnarok airship greeted them, with Laguna walking down from it. Rinoa waited for Squall to follow, but much to her dismay, he did not appear.

"Merry Christmas!" He greeted with a wide smile open arms.

General Caraway chuckled. "Merry Christmas, Laguna."

"Merry Christmas Uncle Laguna!" Rinoa said heartily.

"I came by to drop my presents for you and Rinoa." Laguna reached a large, red paper bag to Rinoa. "Here's for you, Dear."

"Thank you." Rinoa gave him a smile as she accepted the present.

"And here's for you, Buddy." He tossed a small box to the General.

"How come she got a big one and I don't?"

"'Cause you're no longer a kid, you big baby!"

The two men laughed, and Rinoa joined them. Her Uncle Laguna never ran out of surprises.

"Oh, and uhm... just to remind you as well, like every year..."

"Yeah, I know, the Christmas ball." General Caraway nodded.

"Yeah..." Laguna scratched the back of his head. "Glad you still haven't forgotten about that yet."

"Of course not, my friend. My daughter and I will be there tonight."

"Oh, I'm coming too?" Rinoa asked in shock. She heard her dad mention about the ball a few days after the start of her Christmas break, but she had thought, all this time, that he was going alone.

Her father looked at Rinoa confusingly. "Of course you're coming with me!"

"But- I- it's a ball, I don't have a dress to wear!"

Laguna laughed. "I'm sure you look beautiful in whatever you wear!"

The General shook his head. "Nah, it was my fault. I didn't tell her she's coming with me. We'll find her a dress in no time within the day."

The cheerful visitor shrugged. "Well, I trust you. It doesn't matter what you two wear, really. What's important is that you two arrive! Or else, I'll drag you both from here myself by force with the whole Estharian army!"

* * *

A few hours after lunch, Rinoa was finally able to find a beautiful dress she would wear for the night's ocassion. It was a long, white, halter-type gown that she fell in love with the moment she saw it displayed at one of the store windows. It was plain, with no bead designs or embroideries on it. But it looked elegant and flattering on her, especially with the white color which emphasized her fair skin and long, black hair. She matched it with a new pair of white, strapped shoes.

Exhausted from all the searching of her dress, she lazily relaxed on her fluffly, soft bed. She was even lucky that the stores were opened during the important holiday. And when she asked one of the saleclerks, he only replied that the owner simply wanted to keep the business running no matter what. It was sad.

She inhaled deeply. She had never been to a ball before, and she had no idea what happens there. All she knew was it should be a formal celebration where people wear extravagant clothings. She didn't want to be or to look extravagant, she was never that type of girl, even if she had every right to be. She wanted to keep herself and everything else simple.

Then, she thought about the venue. Her father said it was held at different places every year, and it will be Laguna's palace this time around. Important people from all over the world will arrive at his invitation of the Christmas ball, talk about business and what nots, dancing their way to the night...

Then, she thought of Squall.

He will be there, for sure. At least for formality's sake, he will show up as the son of Esthar's President. Maybe it was partly the reason why Rinoa chose a dress that will flatter her greatly. She wanted to be beautiful in Squall's eyes. She did not ask or hope to stand out among the daughters of the other rich guests, but she wanted to at least look decent to him.

But why would she bother with that, anyway? After all, being the gorgeous prince of Esthar made him the dreamiest of the dreamy guys around. He will not ask girls to dance with him, it will be girls who would ask him out. Rinoa would not be surprised if she suddenly sees girls forming a long que just to dance with him.

However, she got one asset that probably no other girl has. She was a good friend of Squall's and of his father, Laguna. She even received a considerably big Christmas gift from him!

She turned her head to the big, green paper bag which she placed right beside her bed. She sat up and grabbed it. Carefully, she removed the metal staple that closed it and it showed a medium sized Moomba stuffed toy.

Rinoa giggled. "So cute!"

But it did not stop there. There was a red ribbon tied on the hand of the lifeless moomba figure, with a familiar bottle hanging on it. Rinoa stared at it closely, confirming if it was the same thing she thought it was. Her eyes widened.

It was bottle she gave Squall the other day. The same one she told him to give to the girl he likes.

_No. It couldn't be. Maybe he didn't want it._ Rinoa told herself.

She took it off the plushy's hand and examined it. She spotted traces of ink, which were seemingly written in words. He had obviously used it, ready to give it to the lucky girl.

Only that, Rinoa got it.

But there was only one way to confirm that it wasn't meant for her. She opened the bottle, partially guilty for invading personal property, and shook the paper out of the bottle. Meticulously, she opened it and read the words written by his own hands.

"**If you give me that ring, you will never be lonely again. I promise."**

**

* * *

**

Squall was cooly leaning his back on a nearby pillar at the ballroom of the Presidential palace in his black suit, watching as guests after guests arrive at the ball. Despite his composed demeanour, he was immensely restless inside. When he woke up that morning, he realized that the blue paper containing the confession of his lifetime was gone... with the bottle. No matter how he searched every corner and spot of his room, he couldn't find it. Until he found out from his dearest father that he already gave it to Rinoa.

He almost commited treason against the President of Esthar.

_Idiot._

More than ever, he was embarassed, worried, annoyed, afraid... how did she react? He hoped that she'd never realize it was for her. But he wrote of the ring, and included the word "lonely". As far as she knew, she only admitted her Christmas loneliness to him. Not unless she sent a text message to Cloud or contacted him in any way, but that would sound a bit too ridiculous and strange. His heart was pounding and his hands were getting sweaty. Squall was sure Laguna mentioned that he invited General Caraway and Rinoa over, and he was looking forward to it too. But after the President gave her the bottle, the chances of her insisting not to attend the ball to avoid him were big.

Squall groaned at his father's clumsiness.

_Speaking of the devil._

Laguna was approaching him with three people whom Squall assumed to be guests; an old man with a woman about his age, probably his wife, and a young girl about Squall's age.

"This is my son, Squall." Laguna gestured at him to greet the participants of the ball, and Squall followed. "Squall, this is the Mayor of Fisherman's Horizon, his wife, and their daughter, Lenne."

"Pleasure to meet you." Squall said stoically as he held out his hand.

"Pleasure's all mine." The mayor said in an equally plain way, took the brunette's hand and shook it.

"Laguna," His wife, a tall woman with curly blonde hair, turned to face Laguna. "would you lead me and my husband to the drinks?"

"Uh..." Esthar's President said awkwardly. "Why yes, of course. This way." He extended his hand to the buffet table where a big bowl of punch was served for the ocassion. They walked away, leaving Squall and Lenne alone.

The mayor's daughter was a short one, with long, brown hair that fell to her waist. She was wearing a long, purple-blue gown, decorated with a few sparkling rhinestones.

"I've been wanting to meet you." Her voice was melodic, quite entrancing to anyone who hears it. Squall looked at her, and met her eyes. She had light brown ones, staring right back at him. Her tanned skin complimented her. He admitted that she was quite good looking, but still nothing compared to the one he wanted to see that night. "Merry Christmas." She said shyly.

Squall nodded. "You too."

Lenne smiled at him. "I've heard about you from all the other girls here. They said you were handsome." Squall looked away at her commendation. "But I think that was an understatement."

If he chose to be rude that night, he would tell her his favorite line "whatever". But she was the Fisherman's Horizon's princess, the daughter of the mayor, and he can't afford a bad reputation as Laguna's son. Being flattered like that without getting to know him first was one of the things on top of Squall's list that made him uncomfortable. He had the feeling that the reason why her mother asked his dad to lead her and the mayor to the drinks was to leave Lenne and him alone.

The girl seemed to notice that she was being too fast with that remark, evident in Squall's snobby silence. She looked down to the floor bashfully. "Sorry."

There was a long, awkward pause. But it only bothered Lenne.

Squall continued watching the crowd, which number kept on growing every minute. He scanned them, hoping to find any sign of Rinoa or of her father.

Then, suddenly, he saw a tall man with black hair he recognized and in black suit. He was talking to his father Laguna and laughing with him. His heart jumped.

"I was wondering if..." She started again, in a low voice. "you would like to dance."

Squall turned to Lenne. "Uh... excuse me."

In the most calm and gentle way possible, he left their spot and walked to General Caraways' direction. But he was not with his daughter, Rinoa.

_Could it be she refused to attend? Was it all because of that stupid bottle?_

He fought the urge to punch his father in his face.

Frantically, he continued his search for the raven haired girl he had been wanting to see ever since the night started, even if he had the hunch that there was a big possibility she wasn't there. But he had to make sure, he couldn't pass up another minute of his chance to explain the message to her. It might cost their friendship, the only thing left to him of her. He was halted by some girls, here and there, asking if he was interested to dance with them, but he mildly turned down every one of them. Before he does anything else, he wanted to know if Rinoa was indeed at the ball.

It took him around half an hour to search every corner of the huge, crowded ballroom, to no avail. Tiredly, he rested his back against a wall and ran his hand over his forehead. He did not want this, he never wanted it to happen. He couldn't find Rinoa.

He looked up to the glass ceiling and saw the stars. Every Christmas, lots of stars tend to appear in the night sky. They seem to be his only company that he could confide to, at the lonely night of Christmas. Then, a star suddenly passed by, leaving a long trail of light behind.

_A shooting star._

It's direction was downward, a strange one for the usual slant, celetial pattern. Squall followed it's direction and then found himself looking at someone where the star lead him to.

About eight feet away from him stood the girl he had been distressly searching for. She was in a long, plain, ivory white dress that she looked beautiful in. She let her long, black hair down, flowing gracefully in every movement of her head. She too, was looking at the same sky of stars.

Squall found himself staring at Rinoa, startled to see her. He felt happy and satisfied that he finally found her, but panic quickly overruled him. There was still that issue of the bottle and he didn't know how to explain that to her.

Suddenly, she turned to look at him, with those enchanting features he had been thinking about the whole time last night. He suddenly had the pang of nervousness. How should he react?

He reminded himself to remain composed. It's what he had always been good at.

Then, she smiled at him. He was surprised that she could easily forgive him. Or maybe she didn't get the bottle? Maybe she lost it, or maybe she mistook it for someone else. Maybe he had been panicking for the wrong reason the whole time?

Finally, she walked to him.

"Hey Squall." She waved at him with her hand. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Squall nodded. He was happy to see her.

Rinoa held out her white purse, opened it and searched for something. Then, much to Squall's surprise, she took out a silver ring, the same one with the lion engraved on it. She gripped Squall's hand and slid it to his ring finger.

The brunette stared at it and gazed unbelievably at the thing she put on him. It was meant for the guy she would love... and she gave it to him. _Him_. Could it mean that...

"Rinoa..." His azure eyes met her blooming, brown ones.

"It had always been yours..." Rinoa nodded shyly. "from the very start."

Squall had a sudden outburst of happiness that made him want to kiss her right then and there after she said those words. But his reply only came with a wide smile as he grabbed Rinoa's hand and pulled her out of the place. They ran through the halls, the lobby, and headed to the elevator that brought them up to the floor where Squall's room was located. Then, they walked straight to his own sanctuary.

"Stay here." The brunette told her before he made his way to a drawer on his bedside table. He opened it and took something. "Close your eyes."

She obliged and closed them intently with a smile. His command meant he had prepared something for her, a surprise. Then, with only her sense of touch to depend on, she felt Squall held her hand and lifted it up. He then slid something cold and metallic on her ring finger, just like what she did a while ago to him before they escaped the party.

"Now. Open them."

Rinoa immediately looked at her hand Squall held, and gasped at the gift he wore to her. It was that ring, the plain one she saw at the jewelry store that she wanted so badly. Squall thought she would buy it, but she instead bought the ring he was wearing now.

"Squall... I-" She looked at him, and locked with his ocean blue eyes, which looked back at her passionately.

"I was supposed to give this to Cloud and tell him to give it to you, because I knew you wanted it." Squall smiled while gently massaging her hand. "I know, it was crazy for me to help my rival. But whenever I think about you..." He trailed off. "I just tend to lose my mind and do insane things.

"But after tonight, I..." Her eyes began to get teary, and he never dared to look away. "I just had to give it to you myself." He looked down to her soft hand and squeezed it gently, like a fragile thing. "Rinoa, with this ring, I swear to you, you won't have to make sacrifices for me. Because I will do those for you... in everyday that I'm with you."

Rinoa couldn't help but sob at his words as her heart suddenly stopped pounding. She giggled at the sweetness of his promise and embraced him tightly. In response, he hugged her back in his arms and inhaled her scent through her hair. It wasn't like him. Rinoa was Squall Leonhart's glitch.

Finally, she let go, but her body remained close to his. Squall leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.

Rinoa sniffed. "Does this mean, you're mine?"

Before she could say more, Squall leaned closer and brushed his lips against Rinoa's. It was the first time for him, and it also was to her, but it somehow felt perfect for both of them. He tilted his head slightly for her better access, and their lips continued dancing with each other. Rinoa placed her hands on his face, making sure that she wasn't dreaming and that it was all real. They parted and Squall gazed at her again, with those cerulean eyes she had always loved.

"Always." He replied.

* * *

**A/N:** Merry Christmas everyone! ^-^


	15. Squall's Other Life

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** So there, I promised that I'll be updating a bit later than expected, but... yeah... I felt like I just have to upload this one... I'm not sure when I'll be able to finish the next chapter after this, since I'll be extra busy... But I do swear that I will update as soon as I can...

THANK YOU for everyone who READ AND REVIEWED!! *BIG TIGHT HUGS TO EVERYONE*

Also, I apologize if I haven't been replying as fast or as often as I can with your reviews... I've been pretty busy lately... Y_Y

So, as usual, hope you guys enjoy this one! :3

* * *

She touched the glass window by her thin fingertips as she felt the coldness of Christmas through the thin surface. The emerald haired girl longed to go beyond her confined space inside one of the rooms she was kept at the suite. For days, she waited until Cloud, her friend and protector, could tell her that she was free to roam safely around the town. Enviously, she watched as people with large, wrapped packages in hands pass by the streets of Deling City, enjoying the freedom they had while she was held up inside for quite a long time. So long, Terra could hardly remember what it was like to be outside anymore.

She sighed, and wondered when it would all end. The last time she felt free was seven years ago, before that incident happened. After it did, she was practically shut from the society, only interacting with the people she was fated and entitled to spend her days with. They were either there to protect her, to provide her with daily needs, or to capture her with ill motives.

Terra had grown to become a lonely, lonely person.

The door of her room creaked open, but she did not look at her visitor. She did not break her stare from the yearning scene provided by her window.

"Good morning, Terra." A familiar voice greeted, the same owner who had to deal with her with every day that she stayed inside that place. Though she knew he didn't mind, she could read it in his sincere actions that he showed her.

Terra finally turned to face her blonde childhood friend. He was carrying a tray with plates of food on it, as usual, and a glass of milk. She smiled at him generously, as she stood up and reached for the tray. Terra took it from him and placed it on top of her drawer.

"Thank you, Cloud." She said softly.

"Terra." He called again, in an audible whisper.

"Hmm?" She turned to him and forced a smile.

"Merry Christmas." Cloud, who was still looking down at his feet, shyly held out a small box wrapped in blue paper, like a shy little boy giving his crush a present.

Terra giggled. "For me?" The spiky head nodded. Gently, she took the box from his hands and held it to her chest. "Thank you!"

It was obviously the first time she received a present in years. And so, she forgot to get him a present, though she wondered how could she ever when she was stuck inside the room the whole time.

She brushed her fingers against the wrapper of the gift as her eyes slowly turned from happy and grateful to sad ones. Cloud instantly noticed them.

"Terra?" He asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Terra shook her head. "Nothing."

Cloud stepped closer to her. "Terra, you can tell me anything. What's wrong?" He asked gently.

Terra looked up at him. "I'm just..." She gazed at him for a moment before looking down to the floor again. "Sorry. I don't have anything for you."

"You don't have to give me anything." Cloud replied sincerely.

Terra hummed and nodded. "Thank you." She walked to her bed and sat, telling Cloud that he was free to go. But the blonde head was not satisfied with her answers. Slowly, he approached her and sat beside her on the bed. There was a long pause as he waited for her to talk. Minutes have passed as the room remained silent.

"There was something else." He started, encouraging her to tell more. She turned to him shyly, only to see him staring directly at her. It reminded her of the days they had back in Nibelheim, but their roles were reversed. She used to be the one forcing him to talk to her. But now, it was him practically pleading her to say something. She figured that she had gone through more problems in the past years than Cloud to act the way she did.

She stared back to his light blue eyes, which told her purple ones of his pure concern for her. Terra was afraid to answer because it might create worry and pity out from him. And those were the last things she needed.

But the way he begged with his eyes were tempting for her to pour all her emotions to him. Lack of socialization and contact with other people also meant lack of good communication. Terra had not really talked to a person for a long time now, and sadly, she got used to keeping all her feelings inside her. However, looking at Cloud told her many things. And above all those, his sky-blue eyes told her she can trust him in whatever she will tell him.

"I'm just... getting a bit lonely... in this place." She murmured that only he could hear. "Everyday, I watch people pass by this place, enjoying the town. And I'm a little jealous of them." She confessed bashfully.

Cloud realized where the conversation was going. He turned his head down to his lap. "Terra, you know we can't let you go outside. It's too dangerous for you. Kefka is still out there."

Terra sighed. "I know. I understand." Part of her felt betrayed by her friend with the response he gave her, a response that she had been receiving from anyone whom she confided of her loneliness to. And hearing that one from Cloud made her sad, it was as if he stole her of the last hope she had to experience the freedom she longed for. Carefully, she scooted behind Cloud and laid on her side, folding her legs. She did not want to talk to him anymore. She did not want to hear any more disappointment.

Cloud looked at her agonizingly. He too wanted to bring her out of the building, especially during Christmas day. But he had to protect her, as a SOLDIER and as her friend. He can't afford to lose her again.

He let another moment pass, waiting for her to say something. But she never did. All he could see was her back on him.

Finally, the blonde SOLDIER stood up. He took one last look at Terra before he stepped out of the room.

He wished there was something he could do for her.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rinoa asked from the passenger's seat as she looked at her brunette boyfriend, who was driving his black convertible.

Squall grinned. "To show you the other part of my life."

Two days ago, when they gave each other's ring and made their confessions, Squall promised himself that he'll disclose everything about himself to his girlfriend, hiding nothing from her. That morning, Laguna's son went to the Caraway mansion to visit Rinoa and asked her out. Without questioning Squall further, she followed and excitedly dressed up in a blue blouse and jeans, with Squall noticing that she often dressed in blue clothes. She didn't ask him where their destination was, thinking it could be a surprise, since he did not say anything about it either. Until she couldn't help the anticipation anymore.

"Where?" Rinoa asked again, after noticing that they have left Deling City.

"To Balamb."

* * *

The place they arrived at was not exactly a town, which was about two hours away from the city they came from. It was a large, round building, which Rinoa assumed to be an institution, if not a school. Then, she saw three girls, about her age, pass by in their dark, blue uniforms, carrying what seemed like weapons in their hands.

"Welcome to Balamb Garden." Squall said, gently clutching Rinoa's hand in his. The raven haired stared at the huge place in great awe.

_A Garden..._

She had heard of the mercenary schools called "Gardens", but she had never seen one or been to one. She only knew that these places accept the gifted people, specifically who have reached the Garden's exceptionally high standards.

Meaning, if you attended one of these Gardens, you're one of the best of the best.

Also, the students learn not only of combat, but of advanced academic fields, making the institution a semi-military school.

Rinoa turned to Squall after examining the sophisticated lobby that welcomed them to enter the place. "You study here?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes, I study here."

His girlfriend suddenly felt her heart skip a beat as she felt proud for having a boyfriend like him. "Wow... You must be THAT great." She beamed at him.

Squall shook his head. "I was not meant to be here in the first place." Rinoa's eyes furrowed in confusion, asking him to tell more as they walked inside the building. "After my mo- that incident in Trabia, Dad took me and left me to the next person he trusted to take care of me. It was his cousin, my Aunt Edea. She and her husband Cid owns this place."

"Cid..." Rinoa looked up, thinking. "I think I've heard that name somewhere..."

"There are many Cids around. This one is a different Cid." Squall informed her.

"Oh."

Squall continued. "They took me in, commanding all their top students who called themselves SeeDs to protect me at all costs. They also changed my name. You probably noticed that I never used Loire as my surname." Rinoa's eyes darted away from her boyfriend and wondered. "Yeah, it was kinda strange why you kept using Leonhart when Uncle Laguna is Laguna Loire."

The brunette nodded. "It was for my own protection, one of the most basic things to do if you want to stay hidden from your enemies; change your name. Even those SeeDs who were protecting me didn't know what my real name was, Edea kept it from them."

"Oh, I see." Rinoa nodded. "How come you still use Leonhart then? I mean, Esthar is at peace now, right?"

Squall did not turn to her as he replied. "I still use it as my alias as a SeeD."

Rinoa's eyes widened. _A SeeD? _"You're a SeeD?!"

The brunette grinned and turned his blue eyes on her. "Yeah. I'm a SeeD."

"How long?"

"Two years. I still work here as a gunblade specialist. I perform missions assigned to me by Edea or Cid."

_So that explains the gunblade in Squall's room_, Rinoa thought, remembering that incident when she accidentally entered Squall's room back in Esthar.

"But... you... you study at Deling High! How can you study at both places at the same time?"

Squall shrugged. "I can manage to juggle both."

"Why did you have to study there anyway when you're already in Balamb Garden?"

"Dad wanted me to go to a normal school."

By this time, they have reached the fountain located at the middle of the place. Rinoa may not be as knowledgeable about the mercenary schools or what they exactly do, but she was aware enough what SeeDs are. When you're a SeeD, it means you are one of the best assets in an army, even doing better than a General, like her father. She just wasn't sure though if SeeDs join the government army or if they only stick with whatever job their Garden gives them.

"How did you become a SeeD?" Rinoa stared intently at her boyfriend, still asking for an answer, as if repeating her question through a look. Squall stared back at her.

It was a long story, but he was more than willing to tell her. "There was one of the SeeDs who was assigned to look after me named Auron; a blademaster. Edea told a six year old me that Auron never failed a mission, and that was why she especially trusted him to guard me and lead the group assigned for me. It showed how dedicated he was to be my guardian when he would allow everyone to take their day offs and be idle, while he never left his post. Until one night, when I was supposed to be asleep, I wandered around the Garden and saw him at the Training Center, practicing. He caught me watching him, and probably realized how interested I was. So he lent me his sword and taught me a few things about fighting. Maybe he thought I did pretty good, because the next morning, Edea asked me if I wanted to study in the Garden and become a mercenary like Auron. Even if I was a kid, I figured that Auron told Edea about what happened the night before and I guessed he saw my potentials. And so, I began studying here."

"For how long?" Rinoa instantly asked.

"Eleven years. I became a SeeD when I was fifteen years old."

"Wow." Eleven years of studying was a pretty long time. And Rinoa could tell it wasn't a joke, especially when he reached the highest rank in his early teenage years.

"What happened to Auron then? Is he still here?"

Squall shook his head. "He waited and stayed until I became a SeeD, and then he resigned. He told me that he needed to go to Besaid and fulfill a promise to a friend. He had to look over someone."

It saddened Rinoa. She wanted to meet the man who did Squall a huge favor. Then, she thought that at least he was glad to see Squall successfully become a SeeD.

"What about Uncle Laguna? Where was he the whole time?"

"He..." Squall trailed off, and stared at a blank space. "He stayed in Esthar; trying to sort things out. His enemy, a terrorist named Adel, wouldn't give up no matter how much negotiations and actions my Dad did. Also, he was afraid that if he left Esthar and visit me, he would be followed and reveal my location." Squall's brow furrowed at the memory and then chuckled. "That idiot. He didn't know that this place was safer than Trabia, or any other place in the world."

Rinoa couldn't agree more. With the place surrounded by SeeDs, attempting to infiltrate it would have been a wrong move. Then again, it should have marked the end of the war in Esthar.

The raven haired has a sudden revelation.

"Why didn't Uncle Laguna ask help from SeeDs?"

"Good question." Squall acknowledged. "He said he did not want to involve young lives in the war. Yet, he was willing to lose more lives from the Estharian army." He shook his head disbelievingly. "But Edea proved to be smarter than he was. Shortly after I became SeeD, the war grew worse and my dad's life was at stake, so she sent out SeeDs on a mission to help end the war. She included me."

Rinoa's expression changed from curious to skeptical. "Why did she send you when she was supposed to protect you?"

Squall shrugged. "I guess she had enough trust in me, so much that she knew I should be able to end it."

"You?" _What about the other SeeDs?_

He seemed to have read her mind and replied to her question. "I lead the group."

Rinoa's eyes widened once again. "But, you were only fifteen!"

"True." Squall nodded slightly. "But I was able to lead the group into ending the war."

"You _ended_ the war?"

"Yeah."

She couldn't believe it. A war that lasted for years, costing many lives in the process... it all ended when a fifteen year old leading a group of SeeDs stepped in.

"Wha-wh-how did you do it?" Rinoa said after she realized that he mouth were gaping.

"Hmm..." Squall didn't want to tell her how he did it. It was simple; they assassinated the one leading the terrorrists, Adel. But he knew she did not want to hear it, and neither did he want her to think that he was a killer. True, it bothered him to kill someone, even when it was the same person who murdered his mother and stole his right to live normally. Adel was also responsible for the many lives that was wasted who died trying to protect more lives in Esthar. Killing Adel would save more people, but it was not a pleasant experience for a fifteen year old who was supposed to be having fun with his youth instead of leading an assassination.

"It wasn't pretty." He finally replied. "You don't want to know."

Rinoa stared at him for a moment. It bothered her to see his usual frown on his face again, as she assumed that he remembered something he considered as "not pretty". She instantly understood that it was one of the memories he'd rather forget.

"Sorry... for bringing it up." She said sincerely.

Squall shook his head. "No, it's okay."

They remained like that for another moment, walking aimlessly around the huge structure. And the longer they stayed as they were, they more it was becoming awkward for both of them. Rinoa reckoned that she needed to do something, to at least warm the moment up. She playfully skipped in front of Squall, wearing a smile and startled him.

"Give me a tour of this place!"

They went to the Quad, where events like balls were being held, then the library, which Rinoa considered as her favorite place in the school. They also went to the dormitories where Squall showed her his room which was thankfully neat, and the cafeteria where they were greeted by students here and there, giving Squall a respectful salute everytime. Squall decided not to show her the training center, thinking it could be dangerous, also considering that he did not bring his gunblade with him, rendering him unarmed in case a monster attacks. And he had no plans to bring Rinoa to the parking lot. But he did want to bring her to one last place.

"Where are we going?" Rinoa asked as she followed Squall inside the elevator.

"To Edea. I want you to meet her."

After they're reached the third floor, they stepped out of the elevator, and a huge, mahogany door greeted them. It opened and revealed a large room with antique furnitures and shelves with alot of neat, old books lined up. At the center of the place, there was a long, wooden desk where an old man sat. He was distinguishable with his gray hair and chubby figure. He seemed short, even while sitting, reading paper after paper with his thick, rectangular glasses. He looked up at the sound of the lovebirds' footsteps.

"Mr. Leonhart," He formed a glad smile at the sight of the brunette. "what a surprise! Glad to see you here."

"Headmaster." Squall suddenly stood straight, his feet closed together, folded an arm upward with a fist in front of his face. It was the same salute the students from the cafeteria had been giving him when they visited it.

The older man stood up from his desk and slowly approached Squall. "At ease." He gently commanded, and the brunette relaxed. He then glanced at Rinoa.

"This is Rinoa Heartily, Sir." Squall said in a straightforward manner.

The headmaster nodded. "Your girlfriend?"

Squall nodded. She blushed at her title.

Rinoa extended her hand to a formal introduction. "It's nice to meet you, Mister..."

"Cid Kramer." The older one grabbed her hand and shook it firmly. "Call me Cid, dear."

After the two newly acquainted people let go of each other's hand, Cid turned to Squall. "So, what brings you here?"

"I want to see Edea."

"Ah, Edea's in the other room. You can come in anytime you want, she would love to see you visit her." Cid nodded.

"Thank you, Sir." Squall did his salute again before grabbing Rinoa's hand. She made out that it was their que to exit the place.

"It's nice to finally meet you again, Sir Cid." She made a quick and final bow before Squall pulled both of them out of the office.

The "other room" the headmaster mentioned was at the right side of the hall outside the office. They entered through a smaller door, which opened a smaller office, but was just as beautiful as the one they came from. At one corner of the room was a medium sized desk, with curvy engravings, which emphasized the feminine side of the owner, who was sitting on a chair.

"Aunt Edea." Squall gently called.

The woman looked up. "Squall!" She stood up from her chair, ran to Squall and threw him a big embrace. "I'm so glad to see you again!" She pulled away and examined Squall. "How have you been?"

Rinoa checked out the woman Squall called his "Aunt", the same one who watched over him for nine years before the war in Esthar stopped. She looked alot younger than her husband, Cid, but she looked motherly enough to Rinoa, with her gentle features that complimented her long, black hair and slim figure. She dressed in simple clothings, very unlikely for someone who owned a large Garden.

"Aunt Edea, I would like you to meet Rinoa." Squall extended his hand to his girlfriend with an introduction.

Edea smiled nicely. "How do you do, Rinoa?"

"I'm good, thank you." Rinoa returned a smile.

"She looks lovely." Squall's aunt remarked as she mildly brushed her fingers through the girl's hair.

Squall nodded and grinned. "She does."

Rinoa giggled at the compliment. "Thank you."

Edea's smile widened. "Would you kids want to grab some coffee with me? I just want to catch up with you."

Rinoa looked at Squall for an answer, but the way he stared back at her indicated that he too was waiting for her permission or reply. The raven haired turned back to Edea.

"That would be wonderful."

* * *

Rinoa took another slurp of her hot coffee after she surveyed the cafeteria. Squall would watch her amusingly every now and then while talking to Edea about matters like what his father Laguna had been up to, or school, even his training out of the Garden with his gunblade.

"I make sure I do my routine of practice with my gunblade right after school."

"That's good to know, even when you visit the Garden only during the weekends."

"Dad wanted me to spend more time in Esthar, saying that I already spent nine years here."

Edea laughed lightly. "I know. I know too that Laguna is trying to understand these thing, you being a SeeD and all. I guess he just wants you to prepare for... something more."

Rinoa's head snapped up to Edea the moment she heard the last few words she said. Squall seemed to notice her.

"I'm not really thinking about it that much." He replied.

Edea nodded and turned back to her own cup of coffee. "Yes. But always remember that you still have that responsibility with you."

Squall's brows creased. Rinoa knew there was something more that she didn't know about him.

"**Squall Leonhart, calling Squall Leonhart. Please head to the Headmaster's Office. Again, calling Squall Leonhart, please head to the Headmaster's Office. Thank you.**"

A voice from the microphone suddenly announced. Rinoa jumped at the noise, though Squall and Edea remained calm, proving how they were used to it.

"I'll be right back." Squall stood up from his chair and headed to the swinging doors of the cafeteria.

"Hmm..." Edea hummed under her breath a few moments later, after she took a sip of her coffee. "Tell me Rinoa," She gently placed her cup down and looked excitedly at Rinoa. "How did you and Squall meet?"

The younger one smiled, knowing where Edea wanted to lead their conversation to; girl talk. "Well," She smiled sheepishly, "he's a schoolmate of mine, and his dad Uncle Laguna happens to be my dad's good friend."

The headmistress of the school nodded intently. "So you started off as friends... that's good."

"Yes; Thank you." Rinoa replied as she took another sip of her caffeine.

"You said you went to the same school as him. Deling High, is it?" Rinoa nodded in response. "Are you a classmate of his?"

Rinoa shook her head. "No, we don't go to the same class."

"I see." Edea nodded. "I hope it's not the same class with Squall's rival."

Squall's girlfriend stopped herself from widening her eyes in her surprised reaction. "You know about that?" She asked while forcing a laugh.

The matron nodded. "Yes. I wasn't supposed to say anything more about it, but I can tell you that my husband and I know of Squall's fight with that boy..."

Rinoa tried to read Edea's expression, hoping that it could tell her if she knew beyond their rivalry. But her face was plain, her intentions only bounded to informing Rinoa that she was only aware of it. She proved to be good at hiding things, so Rinoa took it as a signal not to ask anything more about the subject.

The Garden's guest wanted to take advantage of her chance being alone with Edea, a person who spent a long time taking care of Squall. She wanted to know more about her boyfriend and came up with a question regarding her statement a while ago before Squall left.

"Uhm, Mrs. Kramer,"

"Please, call me Edea." Edea smiled at the girl gently.

"Uh-" She wasn't exactly used to calling other people with just their first names. "Edea... may I ask you something?"

Edea nodded vigorously. "Why yes! Of course my dear! Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Rinoa smiled, appreciating her favorable response. "Well, I'm just curious, when you said about Squall's responsibility a while ago. What did you mean by it?"

"Ah." Edea's expression shifted into a blank one. "I am not the one to explain, but since you asked..." She sighed. "You know how Laguna is the President of Esthar, right?" Rinoa nodded in understanding. "Ruling over Esthar had been running in the Loire family for years. Laguna's father, my uncle, was elected President of Esthar. Then, he somehow forced Laguna to run as well, but not before leaving a huge mess in the city. My cousin had failed miserably for many times trying to fix the problem his father had left; but he was remained loved by the people. What made their trust in Laguna grew was when Squall came to help him as a SeeD to successfully bring Adel down. And after they found out that Squall is their beloved President's son, the people made a petition to make Squall their next leader."

Rinoa tilted her head, trying to take in what Edea told her.

The older one nodded. "And Laguna approved." She shook her head. "But it made Squall upset."

"I can imagine." Rinoa said softly, feeling a bit sorry for Squall. With the way he acted when Edea reminded her of his duty for Esthar, he was clearly not pleased with it. He does make a good leader, no doubt. For a fifteen year old to lead a group and end the war against a notorious terrorist was enough to make him one of the genius ones around. But it was clearly not what he wanted for himself.

"I do feel sad for Squall. For most of his life, he barely had something he wanted. I've watched him grow ever since his mother died; he became distant and cold to everyone, shutting himself from everything else around him. It was quite hard to understand him, and his anti-social nature would require me to remind him everytime that there are still people like me he could count on. But it seemed like he never really cared. He never talked of his problems, even how he felt when Raine died. Sometimes I wonder if it even affected him." Edea said sadly.

Rinoa shook her head. "No, I don't think it's nothing like that." She turned to face Edea. "His mom's death affected him, I could see it in him when he told me."

Edea raised her eyebrows in astonishment. "He told you?"

Rinoa nodded, remembering that time when they sat on a bench and Squall told her of his past in Winhill. "It wasn't an easy memory for him. It was something he'd rather forget. But, when he told me, it's as if he had been wanting to tell someone about it."

Edea smiled. "He had been keeping it all to himself for eleven years." She chuckled amusingly. "I think you're the first one he's told you about it; I _know_ you were, the one and only. And I can tell why. You're a wonderful girl."

Her nephew's girlfriend blushed, running her fingers around her porcelain cup. "Thank you."

* * *

They were back on the car, on their way to Deling City. An hour ago, when they were saying their goodbyes to Edea and Cid, Rinoa noticed how Squall's mind seemed preoccupied about something else. When she asked why he was summoned, leaving her and Edea to talk more about him, he simply said that he was briefed about business, though he never said what specifically. Rinoa knew it was only right to give him time and space to think whatever he had in mind, but one hour had been too long for her, and she needed to know what was bothering him. After all, it was her job as his girlfriend to help him with whatever problem he had.

Rinoa turned to look at him, seeing that he was deep in thought, though still focused on the road. His left arm was resting on the door of his car, while his other hand was stirring the wheels. His frown did not fade from his face, meaning he was still thinking. Rinoa wondered if he knew that she was still with him.

"Squall." She called gently, careful that it might break him off.

The brunette's face relaxed and groaned in response.

"It's gonna be fine. You know you can do it."

Squall's brows wrinkled. "What will be fine?"

"Whatever it was you were briefed about."

"You don't know anything about it."

"It would help if you'll tell me.

Squall sighed. "It was just a bunch of Esthar politics."

"Hmm..." Rinoa hummed in reply. "Was it about you being the next in line for Presidency?"

Squall's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"Edea told me, about you being the next President of Esthar. It's gonna be fine, Squall."

"No. It's not gonna be fine."

Rinoa was a bit irritated with his answer. "How did you know it's not gonna be fine?"

"How do you know it's gonna be fine?"

"I don't know, but if you want it to be fine, then it will be fine." Rinoa tried to be gentle with his tone as much as she could. "No one can predict the future, but if you lead yourself to your own path, then you'll get the destination you wanted."

"But I didn't want to be the President of Esthar. I never wanted to be!" Squall replied in a helpless manner, as if asking Rinoa to explain to him his situation.

"Then again, you never said 'no' to them, or to Uncle Laguna."

Squall groaned angrily. "It was all his fault. He swore to them that I'll be the next President. He agreed to what they want without even asking me! As if it's my obligation to make those people happy!" Squall growled, scaring Rinoa a bit. He seemed to have noticed that his tone was a bit too much. He sighed. "I'm sorry. It just pisses me off how people dictate my future like that."

She stared at him, not with sympathy but with an empathetic feeling. She knew it was hard for him to do something he never wanted. Everyone is entitled to choose the life they wanted, and unfortunately, he was born with a written destiny. Things did seem unavoidable for him, with the way she heard his story. But it was also possible to change the way things are if willed. She believed in fate, but she also believed in the existence of choices.

And as for her, she chose to be there for Squall.

"It's gonna be fine." Rinoa said, with great confidence.

Squall frowned. "How did you know?"

She reached for his hand, the one controlling the car and gently squeezed it.

"I'm right here."

His face softened as he turned to her. She was smiling back at him, telling that she had his back. Despite the irrationality of it, Squall felt the truth in her words. It gave him comfort and assurance, things that he had not felt for a very long time. Just by looking at her, he suddenly did not care what kind of fate life granted him. He only knew he would be alright for as long as he had her by his side.

"Rinoa..." Squall gently called, his tone contrasting his low voice.

She bent her head to his face. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

Rinoa smiled. "Anytime." She replied as she released her grip from his hand.

They had been travelling for quite a long time, Rinoa figured that they should be close to Deling City, ending their date. She recalled everything that happened to them and replayed them all in her mind. Nothing much happened, except maybe when she met Edea, she who took care of Squall in his late mother's place.

Then, she remembered... there was still that issue about how Edea knew of Squall's rivalry with Cloud. That part of their conversation told Rinoa that there was something more, a bigger involvement in their feud.

"Squall, may I ask you something?"

Squall nodded. "What is it?"

"Don't be mad, okay?"

He gave her a confused look. "Is it something I can answer?"

Rinoa shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. You should."

Squall hummed under his breath. "Okay. Ask anyway."

"Okay. Well, Edea seems to know about Cloud, and she seems to know more about something else."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Did she tell you?"

Rinoa shook her head. "No. That's what I wanted to ask you." She leaned forward to stare at Squall's focused eyes. "Is there something more about your rivalry?"

He thought for a moment. If there was someone who should know more about him and Cloud, it should be Rinoa. She was already deeply involved in their fight, and it was only natural that she needed to know how it all started... how it REALLY started. Besides, she wanted to end their rivalry, and he knew that she had done everything in her power to take action on it. She even swore that she'll help him somehow reconcile with Cloud, only that, she had no idea how hard it would be. Their rivalry ran skin deep to their veins, but she had no idea about it. And he did not want to involve her.

But...

There was that promise he made for her. He told Rinoa that he will do all the sacrifices for her, symbolized by the silver ring she was wearing.

And it also meant that he will do anything and everything for her.

Squall grinned. With his free hand, he reached for his pocket and took out his phone. He then dialled a number he swore to call only to piss the owner off. But not today, he would be doing it with a credible purpose. He refused to do it alone, out of respect for the other person involved.

* * *

Terra was taking her nap again before Cloud left her in the guest room and closed the door silently. She had not talked to him as much as she used to ever since that small talk they had last Christmas. Cloud felt sad, feeling a bit useless for not being able to help her. Terra's loneliness was growing worse, and no matter what Cloud did, her solitude was eating her with every passing day.

Exhausted, the blonde slumped down the couch, right beside his best friend, Zack.

"She still moping?" the black haired said while scanning the channels on their television.

Cloud sighed. "Yeah..."

"Why don't you just, let her go out for a while you guard her. She just wanted to go out and get some fresh air, feel some bit of the outside world... I mean, dude, she's perfectly safe with you. There's nothing to worry about."

"No, I can't risk it. Kefka's still around, and if I know any better, he can be right there outside this building, waiting for an opening to take Terra again. You know how unpredictable Kefka can be, he can attack as soon as Terra sets one foot outside." Cloud shook his head. "No, I can't lose her again. Not anymore."

"Man..." Zack sighed. "I think, you think too much."

"I guess I just can't help it."

Suddenly, they heard a phone ringing. Both men felt the vibration of the alert.

"Oh! Must be Aerith!" exclaimed Zack as he reached for his phone, while Cloud took out his own. They both flicked their phones open in unison.

"Hello?" Both said at the same time, but only Cloud remained on line.

"Oh. It's yours." Zack pouted.

"_Strife."_ It was a male voice from the other end of the line. It was a familiar one, and its owner was undeniably someone the last person Cloud expected to call.

"What do you want?"

"_Rinoa wants to know more."_

"Know more? About what?"

"_You know what."_

Cloud frowned. "The hell... leave Rinoa out of it!"

"_Shut the fuck up, you think I don't know that? She wanted to know, what am I supposed to do?!"_ Cloud could tell that Squall didn't like the idea either. But he couldn't say "no" to Rinoa.

There was a long pause.

"_You know… that she has to know."_ Squall said after calming down, without waiting for a response from Cloud, and he hated to admit that the brunette was right. The times she had spent with the two men and her attempt to end the rivalry had placed her to the nearest level of their competition's pit. The only missing link was the incident that started it all. And it was about time that she knows. It was the only way she could understand why her efforts to end their rivalry were useless.

"Okay. Where?"

"_Zone's Resto in thirty minutes."_

The line went dead.

Zack was staring at Cloud the whole time, anxious and confused. "Dude, was that Squall?"

"Yeah." Cloud mumbled as he stood up and headed to his bedroom.

"Where are you going?" his best friend turned his body to face the currently changing Cloud.

"Gonna meet him at Zone's. He wanted Rinoa to know about that incident."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You sure about that? You can't just tell her that, it's confidential! That will also mean revealing to her that you're a SOLDIER! And that experiment! That's against the rules!"

"Rules of what? My father's?" Cloud sarcastically replied as he wore his black coat. "What is he gonna do? Fire me?"

"Okay, okay! I get your point." Zack raised his hands in defeat. He almost forgot that he was talking to Shinra's heir. "Just, make sure you know what you're doing."

Cloud appraoched the door and grabbed the knob. He turned it and opened, but before he stepped out, he paused. "Zack, look after Terra for me."

"Yeah, no problem!"

"Thanks."

Then, he disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

**A/N:** Happy New Year everyone! =D


	16. Confrontations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** *breathes in, breathes out* Gotta admit, I had hell of a hard time writing this chapter. So many info... and I'm so glad I'm through with it... Anyway, thank you so much everyone! For reading and reviewing my story!!! I hope you guys like this one! ^^

* * *

It had been a not-so-long while since everything had started and alot of things had happened already; Rinoa's first day at Deling High which was also the day she found out about the existing rivalry issue in their school; The first day she interacted with Cloud; The time she encountered the cold and intimidating Squall at the most hidden part of the school's library; The afterparty incident; The drama at the cafeteria; The holiday's lunch; The Leblanc rumpus; The Christmas ball...

And now this.

Things took their drastic turns the moment Squall confessed to Rinoa, while she did not hesitate with her feelings for the brunette, for she never really found a reason why she would do so. How could she? Of course, there was always that problem how she had often branded him a "meanie", but Rinoa had long realized and admitted to herself that she was drawn to him, ever since the day she first saw him. Maybe it was his eyes, or his shaggy brown hair she always found attractive, or the way he gazed at her, so differently from the way he looked at other girls, or people for that matter. Or maybe it was the mutual feeling they had, understanding that they need each other. That they were made to fill the missing pieces of each other's being. But she knew one thing was for sure, and she would bet her life and soul on it.

Squall made her complete.

But how in the name of Hyne would Cloud understand that?

Rinoa never knew she would face him so soon after what happened at the ball. How would she explain to him that Squall, who was written by destiny, by blood and by Hyne to be Cloud's mortal enemy, suddenly became her boyfriend?

She silently prayed that he would take it all lightly, setting aside all the tendencies to react violently. She hope that he would understand how she was only a girl who fell in love unconditionally with someone, without any ill or malicious intentions to piss the blonde off.

She fidgeted and shifted on her seat, obviously uneasy with the thought of confronting Cloud. Would he be shocked? Annoyed, of course, but if all goes well, not annoyed enough to kick her out from his circle of friends and give her an ice-cold treatment for the rest of her life. Or not too aggravated to strangle Squall to his untimely doom. Sure, Squall can fight back; he was the blonde's equal for Hyne's sake! But will he really fight his girlfriend's friend and risk being hated by Rinoa again for it? She was sure he would hold back as best as he could, he made that promise to her, and she was especially worried about that part.

"Gaaah!!!" Rinoa gibbered, expressing her frustrations in the most, understandable way possible, while squeezing her shaking head between her hands. She looked like a woman with issues on the brink of insanity.

Her boyfriend, who had been watching her cautiously the whole time from across of their table at Zone's Resto as she kept on discomfitedly moving on her seat, jerked his head backwards slightly as he shot her a worried and shocked stare.

"You alright?" He asked in a concerned tone.

She stopped and looked at him, with her anxious, brown eyes. "Uh-" She placed her hands down slowly, realizing how idiotic she must've looked like to Squall. "yeah."

She inwardly kicked herself for her stupid answer. _Great, he'll think I'm all loony._

"Just," Rinoa added defensively before she can receive any more reaction, which may be worse if she won't be careful. She wanted Squall to understand her, but she wasn't planning on ranting everything she thought about inside her head.

"Cloud." She finally said, summarizing it all, hoping he would get the whole picture.

A moment had passed as they continued to stare at each other in silence. He wasn't replying, and she thought it should be a good sign; it could mean that he finally understood how she was feeling! He probably must've already realized her worries, her expectations, her-

"What about him?" He suddenly asked dumbly, completely clueless.

Rinoa almost slammed her head against the table. But she couldn't risk embarassing herself anymore.

"I'm... nervous." She admitted to him. _Yes, nervous, because you suddenly called him and asked him to come over here to join us when all I was asking you was how the rivalry started._

"Nervous?" He replied. Squall was clearly not getting any of it.

"Yes! Nervous! Because you suddenly called him, and then asked him to come over here to join us, when all I was asking you was how the rivalry thing started!" She intentionally repeated her thoughts for him, hoping to bring him on her understanding of things.

Squall pressed his hands on his sides, looked down at his lap and sighed deeply. He stayed like that for another few seconds, until he finally looked up to her, leaned over the table focused at her intently with his enchanting, charming eyes. "Sorry." She hated how his gaze can easily convince her with a single look. "But it is necessary."

"Well-" She tried to look away from those blue distractions he was giving her. "well, it's easy for you to say! You don't actually care being hated by him when he finds out about us!"

The brunette's brows creased upward, saddened by her statement which also spat out about his indifference. "No. It isn't like that. I know you're scared that he'll be mad, but please don't think that I'm not taking any part of this seriously. I may not care about him... but I do care about you." He said, in the most, apologetic way possible, sweet enough to melt Rinoa's heart.

Then, with regret and bitterness as he crossed his arms and looked down on his side, he added. "I know how much he means to you..."

Rinoa sensed the jealousy in him and his statement, and she instantly felt contrite about it. "No, please Squall, don't think like that. I love you, and I will do anything for you. It's just that, I'm scared he might not take this all well and end up hurting you without you fighting back because of me, and I-"

"Will you say that again?" Squall snapped his back up with his pleading, azure eyes.

"What?" Rinoa asked, confused. "I'm scared that he might not take this all well an-"

"No, not that; the second sentence part..." He replied.

"Which... one?" She asked again, more puzzled this time.

"When you said..." He stopped, too shy to remind it for her. "you love me."

Rinoa's eyes widened. "Oh." She knew she was talkative, but never knew she was THAT bad at it. "Yeah..." She nodded, sheepishly looking down, feeling the warmth spread across her cheeks, or probably her whole face. "I... love you." She finally repeated for him.

She didn't want to say it first, she wanted to hear him say it before she does. And if ever she went first, like how she already did, Rinoa wanted to deliver it in a mor-

"I..." Squall cut his girlfriend from her thoughts and chuckled at what he was about to say. He couldn't believe he was going to say it, it wasn't like him, never had been. But it was the truth, and nothing is more rational than the truth. "I love you too." He finally said, in the most heartfelt way possible, conveyed with the most sincere look in his eyes. And Rinoa could tell as she looked at him that he was digging his words up from the deepest part of his heart.

They stayed like that, for a moment, after another, taking in what they just said to each other. Like is one thing, but _love_? It was supposed to be eternal, a mark or a vow of lasting care, sacrifices, happiness, loyalty, commitment, and many other wonderful things. It's a common word, found and heard everywhere, too common it became an understatement. When it truth, it was a big thing and should be seriously dealt with. Most were scared of it, because it DOES hurt, but not to Rinoa and Squall. Both of them were more than willing to venture the new part of their lives where love had finally became present. And they were glad to go through it with each other.

They couldn't believe they will go through it with each other. It was just too good to be true.

Rinoa suddenly felt deeply guilty for her tactlessness a while ago. "Uhm..." she muttered after she broke from their gaze. "I'm sorry about before."

"It's okay." He gently whispered, albeit not being as close as he should be to her. Realizing it, he stood up from his seat and sat beside his black-haired angel. He then put an arm around her, pulling himself to her side, as close as he can be. "It's really okay."

She tilted her head upward and looked at him. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "And I really am sorry. I wasn't angry about you calling Cloud to get here, nor did I mean to make you jealous or anything. I was only not prepared from what may happened once he finds out."

"Find out about what?" A low, but light voice that belonged to netierh of them, suddenly spoke.

The two lovers suddenly stopped with their display of affection and eyed on the approaching person they were expecting that afternoon; Cloud.

He was wearing his usual shades, in his dark, purple sweater and black trousers. He was a few meters from the two, which made Rinoa wonder how he could hear them from that far distance.

The blonde finally reached their table and sat across the couple, where the brunette used to be located until he transferred beside Rinoa. He didn't release his arm around his girlfriend, assuring her that he was there to make everything alright. He did not send glares at his rival either, preventing any provocation that may trigger a fight. It was a struggle, but purely sacrificial.

Even if his eyes were concealed, Rinoa could tell that Cloud was annoyed with the scene he was seeing in front of him. The girl he had been trying to "protect" from the brunette was in the arms of the very same person he despised. He knew it was wrong, but he suddenly felt possessive of Rinoa and he wanted to grab her from Squall's side. But no, he had already admitted it, he was defeated by his enemy, especially witnessing that the two lovebirds were quite... well... happy with each other. And for once, he would shut himself up out of respect for the two. He may be a bastard sometimes, but he was educated enough to know proper etiquette.

"So, I see that you two are finally together." Cloud said, his jaw clenched.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Squall replied.

"Ecstatic." Cloud responded sarcastically.

The only girl in the supposed meeting stayed silent, obviously scared of the newly arrived company. She took a quick glance of her boyfriend to find some strength, and marveled at his fearless expression.

He was staring at the blonde one with much bravery, imparting his seriousness as he showed that he likes (no, _loves_) the girl beside him. It was as if promising her father that he will love her for all eternity, even after death. Though the thought was strange, because Cloud was nothing like Rinoa's father, yet she was more scared of him than the General.

They remained like that, silent for several more minutes. And the longer it takes, the more Rinoa was getting impatient. She wanted to get it over with and walk out of the place.

"Err... Squall?" She nervously called him as she reached his other hand and squeezed it. He looked at her with his gentle eyes after he broke his stare (or glare, as Rinoa would consider it) from Cloud. "You were... supposed to tell me about the... rivalry... issue..."

"Rinoa," Cloud started talking, though very apathetically. "before anything else, what do you know about our rivalry?"

"Well," Rinoa muttered, turning to the blonde. "I only heard from Paine that it all started with the National Kendo Tournament."

"Is that all?" The blonde asked again.

Rinoa looked at Squall, who nodded at her encouragingly, silently telling her that she was doing fine. She felt like she was being interrogated by a pissed off mafia lord.

"Squall," Cloud blasely referred to the brunette. "why don't _you_ explain it to her?"

Squall frowned at the spiky head and released his arm from Rinoa. He crossed his arms again. "Very well." Then, he suddenly grinned menacingly. "I'll tell her what you really are, then. Half human and half what."

Cloud did not find it funny. "You can dare to. Then I'll tell her how you inhumanly ended the war in Esthar."

The brunette chuckled. "Touche, but I like your deal anyway. I don't like hiding anything from her, so you can do my job for me. Thank you in advance."

"With pleasure." Cloud replied sarcastically.

"Just SPILL IT YOU TWO!" Rinoa, who wanted the talk to end so badly, yelled at the two competing rivals.

Squall decided to start for her. "It was during our first year of high school. We were classmates by then, but we never bothered with each other. We just kept minding our own business even if people were trying to compare us. But it didn't matter. Who would bother with him anyway."

"The ladies."

"Are you turning into an Irvine already, Cloud?"

"What do you care?"

"Stop it." Rinoa's tone was cold, so much it froze the two men. "Let's get to the point, please."

Cloud continued. "I work for Shinra as a SOLDIER." He paused, waiting for Rinoa's reaction. But she only stared at him, asking him to continue his story. She wasn't new with that kind of thing anymore.

So, the blonde carried on. "It started with a mission. I was assigned to rescue a professor named Hojo and bring him to safety. And we even targetted the best day and venue to find him; the National Kendo Tournament where he was invited as a guest of honor. I would've already taken him, he was an easy hostage. If not for this idiot who suddenly showed up."

"Lemme guess, his name was Squall?" Rinoa asked indifferently, raising an eyebrow.

"I knew you love me that much." Squall grinned.

Cloud was too disgusted to let them continue their lovey dovey sequence, so he pressed on. "Of course, I was surprised to see him, a classmate, during a mission. And all I could think of was tell him to get out of my way. But no, he only gave me that look of his and told me the same thing, and that he was in a mission too. And it was contradictory to mine; he was supposed to capture Professor Hojo and jail him for good." Cloud shrugged. "I don't understand why he had to, though."

"Neither Balamb Garden nor I wanted any more Clouds roaming around this world." Squall retorted.

"Too bad. It would've been sweet." Cloud replied.

"Fuck you."

"Wait," Rinoa was confused about Squall's comment about having many Clouds. "what do you mean?"

Squall looked at her amusingly, then to his rival. "Ready to tell her?"

"You tell me." Cloud said in rebuttal.

"What?" Rinoa looked at each of the two guys,.

But Squall did not want to start with that information yet. So he carried on with the story. "Anyway, to cut the story short, after some long talk, our argument ended up in a brawl at the men's restroom where we both found Hojo at the same time. When Cloud and I fought over an old man, we almost destroyed the whole room when we suddenly realized that Hojo was gone. We went out, trying to slow each other down, searching for that damn professor and suddenly stumbled upon the locker room.

To blend in, we disguised ourselves as competitors for the tournament as we search through that room as well, still doing everything to chase each other down. Until we accidentally got out of the stadium."

Cloud stepped into the conversation, cutting Squall. "Professor Hojo suddenly stood up from the great crowd, holding a mic. Then, he announced that whoever was successful in knocking the other one out, he will get his reward. It was a code, meaning he'll come with whoever wins the fight. I couldn't let him win, I would never let that happen. And I saw how he would not let me win either, because our fight lasted for two hours."

Rinoa rolled her eyes for their pride, but finally understood. "Then... no one won?"

Squall nodded, though regretfully. "Neither of us won, and I failed my mission. I guess I could say the same with him. It was the only mission I failed doing. After the duel, during the awarding, we noticed that Hojo was already missing. He must've planned everything from the start and ran away while the two of us were fighting.

We never saw Hojo again. Now, the mad scientist is on the lose, and can perform illegal experiments on random humans he felt like doing to. Thanks to him." He pointed his thumb at the blonde.

"You're welcome. Same to you." Cloud replied sardonicly.

"Experiments?" Rinoa's eyes widened. Who would do experiments on humans? That's beyond barbaric!

"Yeah, experiments on humans; or maybe human experiments." Squall casually replied. "Just like the one we're talking to right now."

She looked at Cloud with narrowed eyes. She was the only one who still wasn't getting everything.

"What do you mean?" Rinoa asked.

But neither of the guys answered her. They continued glaring at each other, as if waiting for the other one to start speaking.

Squall sighed, a deep one, and closed his eyes. He will be revealing everything to her now. It's now or never.

"Cloud here..." He began saying, while the blonde remained silent in his chair, allowing Squall to talk. "is actually an experiment."

"Wh-" She naturally did not believe it. "what?" She asked, partly laughing at the absurdity of it.

"Cloud is only half human..." The brunette replied, with the most serious tone. "and half extraterrestrial."

Needless to say, Rinoa was dumbfounded.

Rinoa's mouth opened, as she was unable to take in every word Squall told her. Cloud couldn't be an alien, he looked fine to be one. Well, maybe too fine it was not normal anymore. Would that be enough to justify why he was actually an alien? Because he was too beautiful?

She did not dart her eyes away from her boyfriend, searching for any lie in what he said. But the truth was written all over his face, telling her that it was a fact, and he would never lie to her. Also, when she turned to Cloud, there was no reaction from him. He was obviously not denying the new issue revealed to her.

"It's the truth..." Rinoa muttered.

Cloud nodded. "Rufus Shinra's cells and of an otherworld being called 'Jenova' were combined and implanted inside a woman's womb. That was why we had to capture Hojo. He used to work for Shinra, and he is responsible for my very existence right now. And my faher wanted to ensure his safety, and the safety of the trade secret for the experiment that made me. But he didn't want to go back and work for Shinra anymore. He refused to."

"A woman's womb?" The only girl in the group inquired.

Cloud looked away. He'd rather forget everything about her, even her name; it's a part of his way to put everything else behind. He did not want to remember the horrible woman who made his childhood life miserable. He may not be fully human, but he still was at heart. And as much as bad childhood memories can haunt every human being, it did too to him. Detecting the hesitant look on his face, Rinoa decided not to press on with her question.

"Rufus Shinra..." She murmured. It would seem like he was an heir as well, just like Squall. Everyone, even her, a girl who came from the countryside, far from the modern city, knew of Rufus Shinra and his family. They owned the most powerful and influential company in the whole world. No one from outside of Shinra knew he had a son, maybe except her and Squall.

Rinoa had been interacting with two heirs the whole time.

_No, scratch that. They're not heirs. They're princes._

She bent her head down to her lap. She muttered a small "Oh..." under her breath. Cloud suddenly looked at her anxiously. He was hoping she all took it not too badly. He scowled at Squall.

"How did you know all this?" She asked the brunette.

"Did a research that caused the failure of my job. I found records of every experiment Hojo did. That was how I found out about Cloud." Squall returned.

She hummed under her breath at his answer. "Major research, I guess."

"My turn." The blonde cut in, intending not to continue with the conversation about his past. He turned back to Rinoa, who looked at him at the sound of his words and voice.

"What, Squall's an alien too?" She wouldn't be surprised if he was at this point. He was just as perfect as Cloud to be human, after all.

"No." The blonde shook his head. "Rinoa," Cloud looked at her with focused, sky-blue eyes as he said her name. "Has Squall ever told that he ended the Esthar war?"

Rinoa nodded. "Yes."

"Did he tell you how he did it?"

The ebony haired shook her head. She had been dying to know for quite a while now.

Squall did not want to hear Cloud say it. He was scared, presently above all others, to be judged by Rinoa for that mission he did. It was the only choice, and the only way his group came up with that time. He wasn't proud of it, and even Laguna was completely shattered by the action taken. He may say that he would do anything for the war to end, but he never wished for his son to do such thing for it to happen.

He did not want her to brand him a killer, just like how he considered himself to be one.

"He assassinated Adel." Cloud finally said it, without prolonging Squall's agony. "He infiltrated Adel's base and murdered everyone inside it, and I mean everyone; hunchwomen, kids who were trained to become terrorist fighters, and every men they encountered. Then, Squall killed the terrorist with his own gunblade."

And it did come as a horrible news for Rinoa.

She stared at the SeeD blankly, and it was Squall's turn to get uncomfortable. He wasn't really taking her look as a good sign. He wanted to explain, but there was nothing more he could say about it. It was done, he and his comrades took away many lives.

Suddenly, she took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. Squall was surprised and at lost with words as he gazed back at her. Rinoa's eyes became full of sadness now, as if she was saying a faultless "sorry" to him.

But she was silently sympathetic of him.

"Squall..." She began. "it must be horrible... for you..."

Happiness and shock exploded inside him. It amazed him how she could quickly understand him and accept him despite of what he did when he was very young.

"I'm glad you're taking it well, Rinoa." He said gently. "Please, don't think of me as a-"

Rinoa placed her index finger over his lips and shook her head. "No. I know. I understand."

He almost kissed her. And he was glad to do it in front of the person he considered a "bastard". But he was afraid that Rinoa might get mad if he did it.

Cloud cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there.

Squall turned at him, and growled angrily for ruining the moment.

"I wasn't able to kill everyone, though." The brunette sternly said. "One of them was able to escape, just like how he did during the tournament."

"Hojo?" His grilfriend asked again. "You were supposed to kill him?"

"He used to work for Adel and performed gory experiments on imprisoned Esthar soldiers." Squall replied. "He was also responsible for the genetically engineered soldiers fighting under Adel. That damn demon bribed Hojo to work under him after finding out of the successful experiments he did for Shinra. The war lasted that long because of Hojo."

Rinoa gasped at this. Hojo did sound like a horrible man, and even she would be scared to wander around the entire world, even on the safe Deling City, knowing that such person existed. And she understood Squall's cause why he needed that man imprisoned; for the safety of all other people. But she felt bad for Cloud, especially. He was a "product" of one of his successful experiments. And if it wasn't for that creepy scientist, there would never be a Cloud existing in this world.

She didn't know which side she was anymore.

"Hmm..." She hummed. "Well, that's just too bad."

Cloud and Squall looked at each other confusingly, unable to get what she meant.

"You know, if you two worked something out before you let your arrogance get in the way, maybe Hojo shouldn't be out and about right now." She said. "You two basically had one objective; to capture him, whether for his safety's sake or to shut him away from the world before he does anything else. But it all comes down to the same thing; you had to capture him." She hoped that she drilled enough guilt on both men. Then, she continued. "I understand both of your reasons why you needed to do your missions, and maybe you two should've understood each other as well. Consider, before judging. Maybe you two should've tried that and see where it went. It was neither Squall's or Cloud's fault why Hojo had gotten away. It was both your fault." Rinoa sighed. "Hojo must've seen that weakness part of you two. And he used that to escape."

Both the blonde and the brunette were silent. They hated it when Rinoa was right. And she always was.

"Nothing else is to blame here," She carried on. "but your rivalry."

Squall looked away at the other direction, opposite the scene he was in, while Cloud looked intently at Rinoa, with his mild stare.

"I only hope you could understand, Rinoa." He said in a lenient manner, more like begging for her to try and relate with how they value their pride.

"I do hope I can." Rinoa replied blankly.

They all remained quiet. Unfolding almost everything right in front of someone outside the conflict between the wolf and the lion would be too much for someone like Rinoa. But she remained strong, and determined not to be affected by the information she was told about. She promised herself not to let anything change how she saw or thought of her boyrfriend and her dear friend. She only took their background as nothing more than history that was remain unsolved. All that mattered to her was the present, and how they will face the future.

Cloud was the first one to break the silence and moved. He stood up from his seat.

"I guess there's nothing more to tell about here." He said.

"You two haven't told me yet about that fight you had that separated the two sections."

"Hmm..." Squall mumbled. "I guess I can tell you about that myself."

"No." Cloud interrupted. "I can't trust you to edit that story out."

"Think whatever you want. I'm never a liar to Rinoa." The brunette shot back.

Rinoa sighed, shaking her head. They had been fighting ever since Cloud arrived.

_There's no stopping them_, she thought.

Cloud turned around and about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back to the couple and faced Rinoa, who looked back at him.

"I need your help." He asked.

"Help?" She replied.

"What the fuck you mean-" Squall did not like it.

"I need to borrow your girlfriend." Cloud told his rival.

"Go find your own." The brunette growled back.

"I need her help with something." Cloud said as cooly as he can.

"Squall..." Rinoa held his arm in her hand comfortingly. He turned to her and became locked with her assuring brown gaze. "It's alright. I want to help him with whatever he needs. You can trust him." She said quietly.

Squall couldn't refuse to her plea. "Fine." He mumbled. "I'll bring her to... wherever you're bringing her."

"Fine." Cloud said. "Shinra Building, Deling branch."

"Shinra?" Squall said warily. He didn't want Rinoa inside that building, but he had no choice. "You better make sure nothing happens to her there." He warned the blonde.

"The fuck you mean?" Cloud retorted, offended by Squall's remark. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to her, and you know that you son of a bitch."

"Speak for yourself, E.T."

"Please..." Rinoa cut in, stopping their argument. It would lead to a brawl if she let them keep on going. "Cloud, what am I going to help you with?" She asked curiously.

"There's a friend of mine..." He replied, his tone changed into a gentle one. "that I need you to meet. She was rescued from a madman and I was supposed to protect and keep her from the outside world. She was getting lonely." He stepped closer to Rinoa's direction, his eyes were almost pleading. "I know you're the only one who can cheer her up."

Rinoa looked back at him, sincerely in the eyes. Without waiting for her boyfriend's permission, she gave him her answer and nodded. "Okay... What's her name?"

"It's Terra."

* * *

**A/N:** Next chapter, Rinoa gets to meet Terra. :3


	17. Shinra and the Mage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update! I'm pretty busy with school, and I don't think I'd be able to update the next chapter soon either... BUT, I PROMISE I'll do my best to updae as fast as I can... that's because I love all of you... *hugs for everyone* :3

So, this is Chapter 17! yey! hope you like this one! And many many thanks to everyone who read and reviewed this story! love you guys! *huggles* :3

* * *

Shinra's office in Deling City wasn't really far from Zone's Resto. It only took a fifteen minute walk for Cloud to get home, and a five minute drive for Squall and Rinoa. Squall told his girlfriend to call him as soon as she's done so he would be there to pick her up and bring her home.

The brunette surveyed the tall building from the driver's seat while they wait for Cloud to arrive, wary of the people inside it. Rinoa sensed the bother in him and held his hand.

"Squall, you worry too much." She said. The girl could still remember the argument (or verbal fight) back at the resturant between Squall and Cloud. Obviously, her boyfriend thought bringing her to Shinra was a bad idea, but she knew that she should be alright because Cloud will be there for her. Besides, he was the son of Shinra's President, what could possibly go wrong? It's true that Shinra may not have as clear reputation and was known or many foul plays. But then, it wasn't entirely Cloud's fault. He might just be an heir, but he had as much power as the infamous Rufus Shinra. He could fire everyone in the company once something bad should happen to Rinoa. Then again, it was definitely not enough to calm the brunette down. Even if his rival and his girlfriend's friend, who cared about her as much as he did, the blonde still WAS his rival, and Squall was nothing more than just his enemy; as a student from 3-A, as a SeeD, and as Squall.

He turned to his girlfriend, blue eyes meeting brown ones. He was unsure, of course, but she wanted this, and there was nothing else he could do but support her choice.

"Just, be careful." He reminded her, as softly as his voice can do.

Rinoa giggled. It sounded ridiculous, knowing that there was nothing to worry about because Cloud would be there for her. But she would agree and ride on with her boyfriend's plea to assure him that she would take care of herself. "I'll be careful." She nodded.

Squall smiled at her promise before his eyes suddenly darted away from hers to the window beside her.

"There he is." He said as a frown started to form on his face.

"Promise me not to worry too much." Rinoa said playfully and put on a not-so-serious-but-I'm-serious look.

"Yup." Squall nonchalantly said as he looked back at her.

"Pinky swear?" she said and held out her pinky.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled at her childishness. "Pinky swear."

Suddenly, she pulled his finger and hooked it with hers, with so much force that his body leaned forward and his face was centimeters away from hers. Then, Rinoa planted a quick kiss on his lips.

He tensed on his seat, oblivious and amazed by the surprise she just did. He remained startled for a considerably long time that the next thing he knew, his girlfriend had already vanished from the passenger's seat.

* * *

Cloud had been good in pretending that he was relaxed as he passed through the lobby and to the elevator that would bring him and his classmate to the suite. But with the glare that he'd been sending to almost everyone they passed by, it was obvious that he was still protective of Rinoa, even inside his own territory. Of course, the rumors of Shinra's dark activities did not exist for nothing; they sourced from truths and actual events that happened. In that building, anything could happen. Someone might just turn insane, kill everyone for being traitors and dominate the world for all he cared. But, he always, ALWAYS, made sure that Rinoa was never leaving his side.

Many of the company's employees had demonstrated evident resitance to look at Cloud's guest curiously and question who she was. They did not want to upset or anger their fearful boss' son, who expressed, though nonverbally, through his face that they better mind their own business. Even Rinoa, who was the only one nice enough to give those people smiles and waves of "hello", suddenly got scared of the blonde host. His lour can summon Diablo from the deepest pit of hell.

What was supposed to be a short travel inside the elevator from the ground level to the seventeenth floor became long and uneasy. Rinoa already felt sorry for the people they encountered on their way to the suite, even if they haven't done anything yet.

Finally, the lift came to a 'ding', and it opened, revealing a plain looking hallway.

"Over here." Cloud said as he lead Rinoa to a nearby huge door and held a blue card out of his pocket. He was about to slide it through an access device when he suddenly paused. His eyes turned to Rinoa.

"Rinoa, I have to warn you before you enter this room." His eyes suddenly turned as unsure as his voice. "The people I live with are... well... a weird bunch. So if they say something that might offend you or anything... just, ignore them. They don't mean it."

He waited until Rinoa nodded, who did instantly. Then, he finally slid his card to the machine, which served as his key to open the suite. And as soon as it did, Rinoa gasped at the beauty of the room.

Unlike the dull interior of the building, from the entrance of the lobby to the hallway of the floor they were on, this room was undoubtedly out of place. It was surrounded by white walls, not decorated much except for the wide, flat-screen television and a wide mahogany bookshelf. There were, of course, a few furnitures such as the modern looking couch at the middle of the suite, a few corner tables, some tall lampshades and there was even a small bar at one side. There are hardly closed walls for each part of the place, except for a bathroom and the bedrooms. The kitchen and the dining room were fashionable seprated from the living room by a long, marble counter.

What made it look even better were the occupants of the room.

At the counter sat a tall, muscular man in black clothing with long, silver hair and narrow green eyes that stood out from his smooth, pale skin, which easily seen features made the guest notice him first. Rinoa initially thought he was a woman, but is angular face and lean body made her realize otherwise and laughed at herself inwardly for suspecting so; he was a handsome man. There seemed to be stack of papers in his hands, surrounding a huge bowl of what seemed like noodles. Whatever he was reading seemed important, obvious on his concentrated expression.

Sitting at a desk near a window was another man, who seemed to be just as old as the one with silver hair. His spiky hair was black in color, which compliement his fair skin and blue eyes. He was in a sleeveless, dark blue shirt while typing something in front of a computer. He seemed just as concetrated as the other man. He too was a good looking figure.

And on the couch, in front of the large television sat a classmate of hers and Cloud's, Zack Fair. His head was resting over his folded arms as he was relaxingly fixed on the show, which seemed like a children's program about a kid who wanted to rescue the whole universe from heartless creatures and total darkness.

The first one to look up was the man behind the computer. His focused eyes turned into welcoming ones the moment he saw the girl with Cloud.

"Cloud," He greeted as he stood up from his desk and approached the blonde teenager. "back so soon?"

"Yeah, nothing much to do." Cloud replied. "Hey, Angeal." He greeted.

"Hey." The man greeted back. "Hmmm... this your girlfriend?" He nodded at Rinoa, who instantly blushed at his remark.

"No." A deep, husky voice said somewhere near the counter. They all turned to its direction to see the tall, silver-haired man looking at them with his piercing eyes. Rinoa shivered at them. "Cloud's girlfriend is inside the guest room." He plainly remarked.

"Oh." Angeal nonchalantly replied. "Forgot about that. Thanks Sephiroth."

"No problem."

Cloud shook his head, slightly embarrassed at how his supposed adult figures acted.

Angeal hummed curiously and looked at the girl. "I'm Angeal Hewley." He said kindly and extended his hand to Rinoa.

"She's Rinoa, a classmate of mine." Cloud cut in before his classmate could reach Angeal's hand and introduce herself.

"Hey!" Zack finally joined in and turned from his seat to face the small crowd. "She's my classmate too! Why do you always leave me out of the picture, Cloud?!" He complained. Then, his experession suddenly changed as he looked at Rinoa and wore a wide smile. "Hey Rinoa! Welcome to our crib!"

Rinoa finally giggled. "Hey Zack!" She waved at him.

Angeal huffed. "Well, Rinoa, make yourself at home. Just remember not to go to Genesis' room, that room at the end of your right, and you'll be fine."

"And my room." Sephiroth added.

"Yes, and his room, which is right beside Genesis'." Angeal quickly muttered as he smiled gently at Rinoa, who made a mental note NOT to enter any of the rooms, except the one Terra's in. "If you need anything, you can always ask any of us."

"Okay. Thank you so much." Rinoa replied. "I'll make sure I will."

"Good. I'll be at my desk." The older one replied.

Rinoa waited until any of them say something about her being present inside a supposedly confidential place. But after realizing that they never gave out a comment about it, she became uneasy. As she and Cloud approached the guest room, Rinoa leaned in closer to Cloud and asked her question before he opened the door.

"They don't mind that I'm here?" She asked in a whisper.

Cloud shook his head. "Guests are allowed in, as long as they don't know about SOLDIERs and other Shinra stuffs. Let's just pretend you don't." He murmured back. Cloud inhaled and held the doorknob. "Okay, Terra's inside. You ready?"

Rinoa nodded. "Ready when you are."

With that, Cloud finally opened the door and showed his classmate the green haired girl, who was sitting at the edge of her bed. She looked up, revealing her purple-gray-blue eyes, which widened at the sight of a stranger.

"Terra," Cloud called her reassuringly. "this is a good friend of mine, Rinoa."

The black haired girl nodded at Terra. "Hello."

"We're childhood friends," Cloud said, referring to Terra. "back in Nibelheim."

"With Tifa?" Rinoa asked curiously.

"You know Tifa?" Terra finally stood up and approached Rinoa shyly. Then, suddenly she felt embarrassed for cutting in. "Sorry. I jus-"

"No, no. It's fine." Rinoa gave her an angelic smile. "I remember Tifa saying something about you being close to Cloud back when you were kids."

Terra nodded excitedly. "Yes! Tifa was one of us until..." Terra trailed off, fighting a a sad expression on her face. "I was kidnapped." She said, still managing to keep her smile.

Rinoa nodded. "She said the exact same thing too." And she also remembered how Tifa sad about that incident upsetting Cloud, but she chose not to bring it up anymore.

"How is Tifa?" Terra asked.

"She's fine. She's a classmate of mine too. She's really doing very well." Rinoa replied.

"I'm so glad she is." The green haired girl sad with relief in her tone.

"Then, I'll leave you two." Cloud said, opening the door to his exit. He gave Rinoa one last look, putting his complete trust on her to help him help Terra.

His classmate nodded at him reassuringly, telling him not to worry about a thing. "Okay,Cloud. Thank you." Rinoa told him.

* * *

The moment Cloud left, Rinoa and Terra were already enganged in deep conversation, mostly with Terra's narration of her life after she was kidnapped in Nibelheim.

"My parents decided that Nibelheim is not safe for me anymore, so we had to transfer to another place where we can hide." Terra recalled downheartedly. "It was hard for me; I had a nice and happy life in Nibelheim, until Kefka found the place and kidnapped me."

"Why did he always kidnap you?" Rinoa asked curiously.

Terra stared at her company for another moment, unsure if she should show Rinoa the real reason why Kefka was after her so badly. Then, she realized that, if Cloud trusted Rinoa, then maybe she could trust her too. Suddenly, she flicked her finger and a ball of fire suddenly appeared. Rinoa gasped at it.

"See this?" Terra said, showing the flaming object on her hand. "Every female member of my Dad's family was born a mage, able to perform elemental magic. It had been years before another one was born, and it happened to be me." Then, for a split second, under Terra's command, the fire vanished. "I can perform fire, water, thunder, wind spells... and just recently, I found out I can do blizzard and gravity spells too!"

Rinoa suddenly shivered at the oddity of the girl before her. But Cloud trusted her on it. She couldn't let him down.

"I know, it's strange, and please believe me when I say I never wanted this." Terra continued. "This is the exact reason why I was always kidnapped; because Kefka wanted my powers. And he even planned to get a copy of my powers to create clones of me and make an army."

"Army?" Rinoa gasped. An army of powerful mages was potentially dangerous.

"Yes." Terra nodded. "That was why my father created a resistace group, to protect me against Kefka. Both my parents were part of that group, and they both died trying to protect me." Terra's face looked even more sad, but she pressed on. "The resistance tightened their security, but then, it also meant me being locked away from this world for all of the time." Terra looked down on her lap, loneliness written all over her face.

"This power, or some would say 'gift', had costed me almost everything. Back in Nibelheim, I thought I was free. It was the only time I experienced ever being happy. I thought I'd get that back when I came here to this place and saw Cloud, but..." She trailed off. "Even he did not want me to be free."

Rinoa shook her head. "That's not true." She then placed a hand on Terra's back and rubbed it gently, though warily, since she was clearly scared of the girl's powers. "Cloud was just being overprotective. I know, he had done something like that to me." The raven haired rolled her eyes at the memory of Cloud acting like her bodyguard during lunchbreaks before the Christmas holidays. "And seeing how he was to you, he cares about you, more than you know. He is just doing these things, like keeping you here from the outside world, just to make sure you're safe. Believe me, even he wanted to take you out and get some fresh air." Rinoa nodded, attempting to encourage Terra to agree. "But, maybe he's just afraid that something might happen to you again, knowing how Kefka wanted you so badly."

"Yeah, but, I couldn't see it in him. I don't think he understands me. When I talk to him and tell him about how I'm getting lonely in this place, he would always say 'no', as if he doesn't get it." Terra sighed. "How could he anyway. He's always outside."

She was stunned. Rinoa didn't know what to say anymore. "I know... Cloud's a silent one..." She sighed as well. "But, I know he understands you. Because if he doesn't, I won't be here right now, talking to you. So please don't think badly of him."

Terra lifted her feet to her bed and folded her legs. "I guess..."

"But you know..." Rinoa suddenly smirked intriguingly as she leaned forward and took a good look at Terra. "The man outside named Sephiroth, he called you Cloud's girlfriend."

The other girl's eyes widened in disbelief. "What-really?"

Rinoa nodded vigorously as her smile widened.

Terra blushed and stretched herarms downward, showing her shy, conserved self. "But-I-I'm not Cloud's girlfriend..."

"Well, he wouldn't say that for nothing, would he?" Rinoa teased playfully. "And I see you're blushing!"

Terra gasped. "Oh!" she touched her faced with hands, as if covering her face. Rinoa giggled.

"Do you like him?" The black haired one asked.

"Wha-what do you mean?" The green haired one stuttered.

"Well, you know what I mean. You won't be blushing THAT badly for nothing either." Rinoa giggled.

"Am-am I supposed to have this funny feeling inside whenever I see him or think about him?"

"Yes..."

"And feel my heart hurt when he says 'no' or when he turns cold at me?"

"Yes!"

"And when I think I find him... well..."

"Cute?"

"Handsome?"

"Irresistibly gorgeous?"

"Yes."

"YES!" Rinoa exclaimed, her arms thrown sideways.

Terra gasped, her hands covering her mouth and blushing furiously. She turned away, shy about her resolution.

But Cloud's classmate did not let it go. She instead stood up and walked in front of Terra to face her. They can't stop now with their intese and exciting girl talk.

"Oh Hyne!" She squealed. "Since when?"

"When?" Terra uncovered her mouth and eyed Rinoa curiously.

"Since when do you_ like_ him?"

"Well..." Terra became fidgety, though not really as hesitant to answer, even if she should be. She felt like she could tell Rinoa everything and trust that she won't judge or tell anyone about it. "...for as long... as I... can..."

"Remember?" Rinoa finished it again for Terra when she noticed she couldn't say the last word.

The mage nodded.

Rinoa gasped in delight.

"How do you know all these?" Terra asked curiously.

"Well..." Rinoa stood up and turned her back on Terra. "Let's just say I have a boyfriend."

Terra gasped again. "Really?"

"Yup!" Rinoa turned around again as she put her hand up and showed Terra the plain, silver ring on her ring finger. "He gave this to me last Christmas."

"You're married!"

"No! We're not married..." _Yet_, she thought. But then, she wondered if it would scare Squall, so she did not ponder on that. "This was his Christmas gift for me."

"Oooh.." Terra stood up as well and approached Rinoa. She examined her hand. "It's beautiful."

"Hmm..." Rinoa put a finger from her free hand to her lips. "I'll make sure to tell Cloud to give you something too!"

Terra giggled. "Actually, he gave me something last Christmas."

"Really?" Rinoa said excitedly. Terra approached the dresser and pulled one of the drawers out. She then took a small box and opened it. She extended her arm to Rinoa and showed a silver necklace with a moogle pendant.

"Awww..." Rinoa delicately touched the moogle. "I never knew Cloud could be that sweet to give you stuffs like a moogle necklace!"

Terra giggled. "He knew moogles are my favorites. That was probably why he gave this one to me."

A sly smile suddenly formed on Rinoa's lips.

Terra looked at her suspiciously. "What?"

"Oh, nothing..." Rinoa exhaled, while raising her eyebrows, hey eyes darted upwards. It was a look as if she knew something but she wasn't telling.

"Oh, tell me! What is it?" Terra begged.

"Well, sorry. It's for me to know and for you to find out." Rinoa winked.

Terra laughed. "Hey! No fair!"

"One piece of advice though." Rinoa took the box rom Terra's hand and gently pulled the necklace out. She unlocked it and wore it around Terra's neck. "Always wear this necklace. I'm one hundred percent sure Cloud will love to see you wearing it."

Terra held the pendant with her fingers. "I've been saving it. I don't want to wear it out."

"Don't keep it. It will be a waste if you don't wear it. Always wear it." Rinoa replied encouragingly.

The green haired nodded. "Okay."

"Promise me, the next time I see you, you should still be wearing it." Rinoa said intently.

Terra nodded again. "I promise."

* * *

Deling High was back to its normal, ordinary status again, as the whole heated rivalry issue had eventualy died off during the Christmas break. Except, of course, between the two rivals.

They were issued with detention after the fight they made at the cafeteria days before the holidays. Both Squall and Cloud each had seven hours of detention instead of dreadful twenty, all thanks to the charismatic talents of Squall's father Laguna and his loveable humor, and Cloud's guardian Sephiroth and his hidden talent of automatically dazzling anyone, especially the school principal.

But nobody cared much about that. Not even the Squall or Cloud.

Rinoa was uncomfortably walking down the corridors with her brunette boyfriend, who was not even holding her close to him, which she was thankful for. Before they arrived at school after he picked her up with his black convertible from her house, they both agreed, upon Rinoa's insistence, that it was best to hide their existing relationship from the whole student body and keep it a secret among their friends and to Cloud, though he was strangely the last person who should know about it. But since he already did, he was the least of their concerns.

Squall walked Rinoa to her classroom, though they attracted even more attention and triggered many mumbles and whispers. As ridiculous as it sounded, since they haven't done anything yet, it was understandable since the famous taciturn Squall Leonhart of 3-A was involved.

As they reached closer to 3-B's classroom, they could see two blondes waiting for them. One being Cloud, who was leaning at the room's doorway, obviously waiting for Rinoa, and the other one was the ever annoying Leblanc, who was attempting to chat with Cloud, but failing miserably. Her words were falling to deaf ears, for Cloud was eagerly focused on waiting for Rinoa's arrival, whom he knew was to be brought by her boyfriend before the brunette scoundrel would go to his own room.

"Squall!" Leblanc called, as she turned from Cloud and faced the other rival. Inwardly, she felt lucky for encountering both "her" boys. A smiled graced on her face, which made Rinoa shudder.

What made the scene even worse was the glare Cloud was giving Squall, despite being already aware that he was dating his classmate. But the protectiveness his ill-stricken look was attempting to surround Rinoa with was failing, since Squall was already her boyfriend.

But it didn't mean Squall felt completely victorious.

Cloud, no matter how he turned the world upside down, will always be Rinoa's classmate, Alpha, friend, whatever. And Rinoa will always be a part of his section's rival class. Rinoa was a world apart from him, in the school anyway, and Cloud had practically unwritten-but-understood rights over Rinoa for being her classmate. A sad and tragic thought for the two lovers. But Squall was not the type who would let something like that happen to him; he loved Rinoa and he despised the fact that they were being controlled by the fear of what people would think of them. He wanted to spend his lunch with her, invite her somewhere after school, and simply bring her to her classroom every morning, without being affected by rumors and hide from them.

"Squall, thank you." Rinoa smiled meekly at Squall as she whispered her thanks.

No, he didn't want to hide anymore.

Suddenly, before Rinoa could step a foot inside her classroom, Squall grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. Then, too quickly for her to respond, he captured Rinoa's lips with his.

Yes, in front of many, many people.

The 3-A lot were nearly cheering for their cold and silent, but unpredictable friend. They were happy that Squall finally had her, the girl they knew he liked so much. The 3-B group was surprised, many gasps from the girls, especially Yuffie. Though they were neither negative nor positive reactions; they were just... baffled. Except for Zack, who heard everything from Irvine and already knew that Rinoa and Squall were together. And he believed that it was a good thing, to see at least a bit of peace between the two sections. Yuna too, like Zack, took the scene lightly and on a positive light, for she knew how Rinoa felt for Squall and was clearly happy for her dear friend. Her boyfriend, Tidus, also cheered for his long time friend from the room of 3-C, along with some of his friends from 3-D like Rikku, and Paine, who finally smiled. Cloud, for some reason, knew it was going to happen. Though still by the doorway, he looked away from the repulsive scene. It made him seething with annoyance and anger. He wasn't jealous; just pissed for letting his rival annoy him. And Leblanc, well, she was stupefied by her loss to a girl whom she had always bullied.

Rinoa's eyes were widened, surprised, but her body weakened and gave in to his kiss; too weak she couldn't push him away. Instead, she let herself remain like that with him, his lips brushing against hers.

Squall's eyes were closed, oblivious and unconcerned about the reactions of all those people around them. He didn't care, not anymore. He wanted them to know how much he loved Rinoa, and nothing could stop them, not even the rivalry or other people's futile assumptions.

When they parted, Rinoa was still stunned, and Squall chuckled at her sight. He thought she looked cute, with her face flushing and blushing at the same time. He waited until Rinoa was herself again, making sure she was alright.

He was expecting a slap, just in case, but in his relief, she gave him that same, beautiful smile he always adored before she stepped into the room. Evidently, she liked the kiss, even if she was too shocked to respond to his kiss. Still, he was glad anyway, that she took it well. He then headed to 3-A's classroom, where he was greeted with loud "hurrahs" and "congratulations" from his friends.

And so, the whole of Deling High already knew, that Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartily were dating, through Squall's brave and sudden declaration of love.

* * *

**A/N:**.... Nothing to say here. I just hope you all like this one! ^-^


	18. Terra's Little Escapade

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy nor any part of the series.

**Author's Note**: *crawling out from a hellish place called "school", barely making it out alive* ;_;

* * *

The tall brunette was carrying the tray that held two plates with heavy lunches for him and his girlfriend. Rinoa was walking ahead of him, as she searched for their usual table that almost everyone in Deling High naturally avoided, ever since the first time they claimed it. Or, well, rather Squall claimed it. All the students seemed to be too scared of him, even when he never did anything wrong, or perhaps maybe he wore his frown far too often. And now, being seen with Rinoa made her a scary figure as well, since she was the only person who can endure the cold, intimidating guy and the only one capable of wiping that angry facade off his face.

Nobody dared to mind them spending most of their time together. The rumors had stopped as soon as they started, and even the foolish Leblanc finally shut herself up. While Cloud, the ever protective friend of Rinoa's, finally decided to give way to the couple and stopped appearing at the cafeteria during lunchbreaks. After all, there was nothing more he could do.

Squall gently landed the tray on the their table, that obviously didn't welcome any other people. It was a small one that kept only two chairs. Rinoa figured it was the best way the two of them could spend the lunch together, since Squall was not exactly welcomed to join her friends, whilst if she joined his, her group might feel a bit betrayed. Adn they never thought about merging the two groups, since it would bring rather, chaotic results. Sitting with just by themselves would seem more understandable for the two rival parties.

"Thank you." Rinoa murmured at Squall as she sat down and took her own plate from the tray. She meant paying for her lunch.

He said nothing, though he only nodded slightly and turned to his food.

She glanced around the place and found her friends gathered around one table, as usual. That morning, she told to them that she'll be joining Squall for lunch, like how it had been for the past few days. Tifa and Yuffie did not take it too well ever since the first time, but Yuna was able to side with Rinoa and explained the whole situation to them.

"Why does she have to leave our table? I mean, you never have to do that with Tidus, right?" Yuffie said, with a pout on her face.

"We simply just both agreed that we eat with our friends. Rinoa and Squall wanted to spend their time together. It's never our decision to make." Yuna replied, making her explanation as simple as possible for the likes of a childish, impatient ninja such as Yuffie. "Please, be happy for Rinoa."

It was what she was best at; softening other people's hearts and make them understand. And she owed Yuna alot for that.

Rinoa's mind drifted to her friends. She felt a bit guilty for leaving them so suddenly as soon as she started dating Squall. She owed them alot, somehow, especially Yuna, Rikku and Paine. They had been her first friends, and they never put her down. Rinoa wished she could get Squall to join her and her friends during lunchbreaks, but she couldn't imagine him interacting with them, especially with Tifa and Yuffie who still resented him. It was her sacrifice for spending her lunch with her boyfriend, since, after all, he was more than willing to sacrifice spending _his_ lunchtime with his friends so it wouldn't seem unfair to Rinoa's side. But he had less to worry about it, for his group was extremely supportive of him. Rinoa wished hers was just as understanding.

She stared at her friends for a short while, and watched them as they cheerfully talk (of course, except for Paine who remained silent the whole time) about things that she couldn't hear. She was not envious of them. She just felt... guilty. And what made that feeling dig even deeper to her conscience was seeing that they were occupying the very same table where she first met them. She could still remember how Yuna, Rikku and Paine (especially Paine) told her about the rivalry between Cloud and Squall, and how it all started. Well, with the little knowledge they know anyway. Now Rinoa knew alot better.

Then, she remembered something. There was that missing piece of the whole picture.

The "fight" Paine told about.

She turned back to Squall, who was eating silently with his corn and peas. It was not exactly the most delicious dish, but Squall wasn't exactly a choosy one. He would eat ANYTHING on the table. It had been awfully silent between them while she was contemplating about her not spending so much time with her friends. And she thought it was the perfect moment to ask him about that incident, even if it meant interrupting him with his meal. After all, it was the reason why she chose to be with him. Not to stare at him blankly and let him be quiet, but to do things couples do doing lunchbreaks. That included talking.

"Squall." He responded to her gentle call by turning his head up and looking at her in the eyes. "I just remembered... you were supposed to tell me about that... you know... fight with Cloud."

Squall's brows slightly raised. Then, he put his fork down on his plate and gulped some liquid form his glass of water. He turned back to Rinoa.

"It isn't really a big deal." He replied.

"Well..." Rinoa adjusted herself on her seat. With his reply, it was obvious that they will be going back doing everything the hard way just to extract something out from him. "Paine said it was pretty bad." Squall's brows furrowed. How could someone, who barely knew anything, say something like that? Truth to be told, Cloud and he were going through something even worse, like their years of chasing the insanely dangerous Hojo for one.

"I want to know." Rinoa pressed on.

There was nothing to lose if he told her anywayl she heard worse. After all, he did promise her that he would tell her someday about it.

He leaned back on his chair without taking his eyes off her, while she, continued staring at him, waiting for his answer.

"It was about two weeks after the tournament. Cloud and I wanted so much to kill each other, but it was against the rules we were living with; Balamb Garden's rules, Shinra's rules, school rules, and even human rules." _Obviously_, he chuckled. "At first, we fought through the most subtle ways; tests, competitions, blitzball," Rinoa's eyesbrows rose. Actually impressed that quiet people like Squall and Cloud could actually play blitzball. "anything to kick each other's ass, to prove that I'm better than him. The same goes with..." He would say "asshole", but he chose to sound nicer.

"Cloud." Rinoa finished for him.

"Yeah, Strife." He added. Rinoa frowned a bit.

"One school day, we just glared at each other and we already knew it meant we had to settle with an agreement. We both met at the parking lot, right after school. And the moment we got the sight of each other, we understood that we had to settle it our own way. I told him the day, and he set the time and place. And those were the only things we needed to know."

Rinoa could imagine how the whole conversation left, knowing how they were men of few words. Squall, for example, said "Saturday.", then Cloud replied with "3:00, at this and that street." And then, they both parted ways, without any more word.

"I brought my gunblade, and he brought a huge sword." _A ridiculously huge one_, he thought. "And that was how it was; we fought."

"Let me guess," Rinoa leaned backwards as she cocked her head sideways. "No one still won."

Squall shook his head. "We just dropped on the ground, bleeding badly." Rinoa winced at that. "I had cuts everywhere, and I could say the same for him." Squall trailed his finger on the diagonal scar between his eyebrows. Rinoa's brows creased.

"Was that... by Cloud?" She asked, referring to the mark on his face.

Squall nodded. "Yeah..." He put his hand down, as if he suddenly became conscious. "I... especially bled here."

Rinoa sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. "What about Cloud?"

"I don't know." He replied. "Don't care."

Squall, for some unknown reason, nervously played with his fork as he stared down back to his plate. Rinoa sighed. They did not need to hurt each other for that simple fight. Then again, she never understood boys, and their impenetrable ego. She bet it was worse with the two, the most proud people she ever met in her life. And to think it happened all the way back when they were still in their first year of high school. Letting their fight pass by for the just a few weeks was already enough to give their rivalry a big room to grow stronger. But years? She couldn't fathom that. Unless they chose to ignore the whole thing, but it did not stop with just school, they had their fight even as they work with those organizations, which were, by the way, part of their lives as well. It would seem like as if they were born and destined to be enemies. And there was no way stopping it. Sadly, Rinoa couldn't see any other way to stop it.

The raven haired sighed. "Men." She said under her breath defeatedly.

* * *

The bell finally rang for dismissal, much to Rinoa's delight. Their Psychology teacher never stopped rambling about things she did not understand, which Cloud (who had been her some sort of translator ever since day one) claimed that the lecture was never really important. Nonetheless, the instructor gave her a headache.

Rinoa finally gathered her things and stood up from her chair, while Cloud followed.

"Rinoa," The girl turned to face the blonde. "will you be... uh... coming over?"

She understood what he had been doing regular visits to Terra ever since the time she met her. Rinoa, after seeing how Terra needed some female company at her confinement, promised to give her a break and see her everyday.

Rinoa nodded. "Yeah. I'll be there." She smiled reassuringly.

Cloud replied with a small smile. "I'll see you then." He waved his bag on his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.

As she walked through the hall and approached the exit of the building, she effortlessly saw the tall brunette who was leaning against a wall by the doorway, waiting for her. Rinoa quickly ran to him and gave him a smile, though he never returned it. Instead, he stared at her softly and gently took her hand, leading her outside the building to his car.

"Squall..." She called, and Squall turned to her. He hoped she would say something good, like an invitation to go see a movie or eat somewhere; they haven't done that in a while. She always had something to do after school, a habit she was not planning to break.

"I'll go drop by to see Terra." _As usual_. That reminder just made his heart sank, and it felt worse in every passing day. She chose to spend more time doing that Strife bastard a favor by visiting that girl she barely knew, rather than go out with him like a girlfriend should with her boyfriend. The only time they could be together was during lunchbreaks which only lasted for an hour. And maybe the few minutes that he spent with her to go to school, then bringing her to that Shinra building to see that girl again. He barely spent any quality time with her. Maybe during weekends, he could wait for that; still it did not feel right. And somehow, he felt like Cloud was plotting it against him, in a way to steal his girlfriend from him and torture him by her constant absence. Nevertheless, in the end, it was Rinoa's choice. Be forced by Cloud or not, it was up to her whom she wanted to spend her after school hours with. Though sadly, everyday, she chose not to spend it with Squall.

"_...y__ou won't have to make sacrifices for me. Because I will do those for you... in everyday that I'm with you."_

Stupid promise. Now he had to pay for the consequences it brought to him. It was sincere, he truly swore with his whole heart and soul that he would be the one making the sacrifices. But he never knew it would be this difficult to keep a such promise. Sometimes, he wondered if Cloud heard his oath, or he just knew that he was going to willingly do anything for Rinoa. Either way, Squall was not quite fond of what was happening to him and his girlfriend. He wanted, so badly, to confront her about it. But it was out of his capabilities. Everytime he attempted to talk to her about serious things, especially when it came to their relationship, he just couldn't gather enough courage to talk to her and always ended up freezing with his mouth completely shut, and tongue tied in a knot.

Rinoa noticed his brows furrowed with the hint of hurt in his eyes. He may always have that deadpan expression in his face that he wore every so often, but Rinoa seemed to be the only person who could read Squall's face, no matter how unreadable it may seem.

He didn't reply to her reminder. Somehow, he knew it would be coming, though he remained hopeful that she would change her mind. He may be the cold, emotionless, dismissive Squall Leonhart, but even a passive person like him was capable of longing to be with Rinoa for a longer while.

"Squall?" Rinoa called again, more gently this time, careful that he might just snap at any second. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn't figure it out. She kind of knew that it could be about spending too much time with Terra, while she couldn't do the same with Squall. Or maybe it could be something else such as a bad incident that happened in his class like a fight with his friends that might have brought his mood down, she didn't know. Even after he entered the relationship, Squall had never been the talkative type, unless he had something important to say. Or during some rare ocassions when he was in a really good mood, he would talk, though still not as much as a normal person usually would. She understood that, and she knew it would be one of the hardest things to deal with Squall. But then, it would really help if he at least told her what was in his mind so she would stop guessing and finally see the whole picture.

Squall only hummed and barely nodded in reply, as if he was simply forced to respond for the sake of it. Rinoa wanted to be annoyed at him, but she couldn't get herself to. His silence was daring her not to say another word.

After they went inside the black convertible, the whole trip was painfully silent and uncomfortable. And Squall's frown and hurtful expression were not helping. In all honesty, Rinoa was tired of always initiating conversations between the two of them, especially when the problem lies within him. She wanted for him to start the talk every once in a while, but it would seem like he wasn't planning on telling her anything.

She couldn't help it anymore. She needed to know what was bothering Squall, especially if it concerned about her as well.

"Squall, something wrong?" She asked in a low voice.

He didn't reply, nor did he look at her. His eyes were locked on the road in front of them.

"Please, say something!" Rinoa pleaded. Still, she did not get any reply.

After a short moment of silence, Rinoa leaned back on her seat and looked down on her lap. "Is this about me going to Terra's place too often?"

A longer while had passed, and still nothing from Squall.

"If it is, I'm sorry. Please just wait a bit longer. Cloud said he would capture Kefka as soon as he can." She said, assuming it was his unspoken reason.

"And you believed him?" He finally responded, in his plain, low voice.

_So this IS about spending time with Terra_, she confirmed. "Why wouldn't I believe him?"

Squall sighed deeply as he closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head. "Forget it."

"What? Squall, please. Tell me what's on your mind." Rinoa leaned forward and persisted.

Squall's hands captured his forehead and massaged it. "Let's just drop it."

"If you don't say anything I will never figure out what really is wrong with this whole thing. I just wanted to help, Squall. She needs help more than-"

"If you're just going to keep helping her, then..." He stopped himself at the middle of his stern sentence. Squall knew that if he carried on, he might say something he would regret.

"Then?" Rinoa asked, begging him to continue. "Then? What?"

"Nothing." Squall replied. He was aware that this was the best time to talk to her about that problem, but he chose to simply let it pass. With the way their argument flowed, he knew that it won't be leading to an agreeable conclusion. Squall never wanted to deal with that.

Suddenly, the car stopped, and it was only then Rinoa realized that they finally arrived in front of the building where she was going to see Terra. She glanced at the structure, then turned back to Squall, who still was not looking at her. Rinoa's brows creased upwards as she opened her door and stepped outside. She didn't bother asking him anymore if he would pick her up when she's done. If he doesn't, then she could always walk her way back home. Otherwise, she could already tell that the ride would be a long and cold. She'd rather walk by herself, then.

Squall glanced at his side mirror, where the image of the disturbed Rinoa reflected. His breathing became uneven. It was not the first time they actually fought, right? Their first real conversation was during that afterparty, and it was not exactly a friendly one, since they kept throwing stubborn words at each other. But this time, it was different. It felt as if a petty fight would threaten their relationship, and there was nothing good about it.

He needed to calm down. It will pass, right? They should be able to resolve this in the future. But what if they couldn't? Five minutes of the fight felt like forever to Squall, and who knew how long it would last? He wanted to turn his wheels back to where he left Rinoa and tell her he was sorry for being an idiot. But she had already vanished from her spot and was most probably inside the building.

_Too late_, he thought and slammed his hand against the board.

* * *

"Everything alright?" Cloud asked the raven haired girl in a low voice as they waited inside the lift. Rinoa timidly turned to him and smiled meekly.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Why did you ask?"

The blonde looked at her suspiciously, not entirely convinced with her answer. He then turned to look at the floor indicator located at the top of the elevator's door, his body was protectively near Rinoa, his arm was almost brushing against hers.

Finally, they arrived at the seventeenth floor and Cloud opened the door to the suite. They were greeted, as usual, by Angeal who offered Rinoa some brownies he apparently received as a gift from an admirer inside Shinra, and Genesis, who was reading his favorite book "Loveless", like always. And as usual, he did not greet the newly arrived youngsters.

"No thanks, Angeal." Cloud said to the nicer man, who reached the box of brownies to them.

"Thank you, Sir." Rinoa said as she picked one piece from the box.

Without wasting anymore time, Cloud lead Rinoa to Terra's room, where the emerald haired girl was waiting for her regular visitor.

"Rinoa!" Terra quickly stood up and pulled Rinoa into an embrace.

"Hey." Rinoa smiled and hugged Terra back. As usual, Cloud left the two as he closed the door of Terra's room.

"How are you?" Terra asked her usual question to the raven haired visitor.

"I'm good." Rinoa forced a wider smile. Being with Terra only reminded her of the small argument she had with Squall, not long ago.

"Good." Terra let go of Rinoa and approached the door. She pressed her left ear against it, her expression concentrated, as if she was testing something.

"Okay, I think the coast is clear." Terra stood up straight and faced Rinoa. Cloud's classmate was confused with what his childhood friend was talking about.

"Huh?"

Terra walked closer to Rinoa. "I got a secret." She winked as she whispered.

Rinoa squinted and grinned as her sly reply.

"I already know how to get out of this room." She replied excitedly.

The visitor was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I discovered that I can use my gravity magic to bring me down from this floor to the ground." Terra answered. "All I have to do is jump out of the window and then cast Gravity. It is the safest way to escape." She continued cheerfully.

"Terra-"

"It took me alot of practice to do it perfectly. It took me days to do it. Then, this morning, I finally did it! I couldn't wait to get out with you!"

"But," Rinoa was baffled, as she looked at Terra worriedly. "Terra, it could be dangerous!"

Terra's excited expression suddenly became downcasted. Then, she sighed. "Well, I just wanted to get out of this place... and... I thought I could go with with you."

Rinoa watched her sympathetically as Terra walked towards her bed and sat at the edge of it, disappointment written all over her face. She should've figured out that Rinoa was just like Cloud, but she was still hopeful that Rinoa would stay by her side when she decided to escape out of the room. Rinoa felt a bit guilty, knowing how Terra wanted so badly to get at least a bit of the fresh air outside the building, where she was prohibited to wander. For days, all she heard from Terra was that she couldn't wait to get out of her room and see the world outside of it. Even Rinoa wanted the same thing for Terra, but what if that madman Kefka was here? What if he kidnaps her again? It would be her responsibiliy for letting that happen, despite knowing the risks. But looking at Terra's current state...

Rinoa sighed defeatedly. She couldn't stand watching Terra so helpless and lonely. She could've went out by herself without waiting for Rinoa; at least she did not do that. Instead, she chose to be more behaved and waited until someone would go out with her. Maybe it was out of fear, since she may not know what it was like outside anymore. Or maybe she just wanted someone like Rinoa with her when Cloud finds out and began scolding her for being stubborn. The raven haired had no idea. But...

She sighed again. "You know," Rinoa broke the awkward pause between them. "If we're going out, you should cover that head of yours so people won't notice it."

Terra's face suddenly lit up as she gratefully looked at Rinoa. She couldn't believe she finally agreed!

"C'mon!" Rinoa said, smiling, as she gently pulled Terra's hand. "There's no time to waste!" Terra excitedly stood up.

_Cloud, if ever you find out, please don't kill me_, Rinoa prayed.

* * *

Terra was so far enjoying her day-out as she took another sip of her strawberry inside a cafe Rinoa brought her to. The raven haired did not exactly enjoy the gravity spell Terra did. She was never really fond of the feeling that she was falling, and the powerful spell tortured her slowly. She was only glad it was finally over.

"How are you going back up to your room?" Rinoa casually asked.

Terra, who was wearing Rinoa's blue hoodie (which she thankfully have brought with her) turned to her company and smiled. "I'll be using a wind spell."

Rinoa forced a smiled, for the nth time. "I see." She nodded. She was more nervous about Terra being outside the building than the emerald haired girl will ever be.

"This is a nice place." Terra giggled as she took another sip of her drink.

Rinoa smiled, this time, more sincerely. She was glad that Terra was finally outside, but she had to make their little outing short, before Cloud finds out that they were not inside the guest room anymore.

"Who do you usually go out with?" Terra asked curiously.

"Well," Rinoa shifted uncomfortably in her seat, still cautious of anything suspicious around them. _Like I can protect Terra if Kefka shows up_, she thought. She didn't even know what that Kefka looked like. "I often go out with my boyfriend." Her cautious mood suddenly turned to sad, when she suddenly remembered how she and Squall have not resolved their small misunderstanding yet. "And sometimes, with my friends." She said right after, distracting her own thoughts from Squall.

"Who are your friends?" Terra asked.

"Well, there's Yuna, Rikku, Paine..." Rinoa replied, as she held out her fingers and counted each of them.

"When can I meet them?" The mage asked again.

"Uhm..." Rinoa thought for a moment. So far, she knew Rikku was always busy helping her dad manage his business, while Paine... well, Paine was not exactly as sociable. Yuna, on the other hand, maybe have a more flexible schedule, except when she and Tidus planned a date. Rinoa thought it would be a good idea to just call Yuna and invite her over; it was better that they do everything now while Terra was outside before she finds any other excuse to go out for a next time.

"I suppose you can meet one of them now." Rinoa replied.

Terra's smile became wider. "Really?"

Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, sure." She reached for her bag and took out her mobile phone. She then dialled Yuna's number.

* * *

It was thirty minutes after Rinoa's call, and Yuna finally arrvied at their meeting place. Rinoa asked her to come and meet her new friend that she visited everyday. It was also a small get-together to somehow make up for the time they missed hanging out with each other. Yuna did miss eating with Rinoa during lunchbreaks, and with her new boyfriend, they even barely got to talk. Luckily, she was free that day, since her own boyfriend Tidus was busy with his school training for blitzball with his team. Through the glass windows from across the street, she could see her friend's straight, black hair, with another girl whom she barely saw with a blue hood that covered her head. They were sitting at one hidden spot inside the place, engaged in what seemed like a deep conversation.

She was about to cross when suddenly, she saw two tall figures in casual clothings standing beside their table. Yuna cautiously watched what they were doing, as she slowly crossed the street, which was luckily almost empty of vehicles, and people.

Then, to her surprise, the two figures suddenly grabbed Rinoa and the other girl forcefully, and covered the lower parts of their faces with folded hankerchiefs. Their two victims immediately became unconscious.

"Rinoa!" Yuna yelled and began to run, when suddenly, something seemed to have exploded inside the cafe and filled the place with white smoke. Yuna stopped from her steps, unsure of what to do; if it was a good idea to get inside help her friends out despite the cahos, or stay outside so she could stop the men from going any farther once they step out from the door. She chose the latter one, though she was itching to barge inside and to check on her friend. Then, after a few moments, the smoke suddenly vanished, and the people inside the place acted srangely, like nothing happened. They kept on eating and chatting like they normally did before the explosion and smoke came about.

Through the windows, Yuna scanned the interior of the place. There was no trace of her friend, nor the enigmatic figures. The brunette finally ran inside.

"Rinoa?" She desperately called, as she checked the table where she last saw her. She then checked every table inside the cafe, to no avail. She then went to check the bathrooms (yes, she also checked the men's toilet), but saw no sign of the raven haired.

She checked every corner of the whole place to search for her friend. But in vain.

She ran outside, and glanced around the deserted street, but still no sign of the mysterious figures. "Oh no..." Yuna's heart began pounding furiously against her chest, hysteria slowly overwhelming her. She had to call for help.

Yuna quickly took her phone out from her pocket. She honestly didn't know who to call first. Should it be Tidus? Cloud? She would've called Squall, but she didn't know his number. Maybe Tidus does, he was Squall's close friend. Her breath was jagged, and her hands were shaking as she dialled Tidus' number, and panickly told him about what she saw,her voice trembling with anxiety. The blitzball player promised her to call Squall as soon as he could. Then, she called Cloud, and it was the first time she heard the usually silent and calm blonde so scared and angry.

Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she talked to the two, and more went out after she put her phone down and felt alone. Overflowing fear instilled within her, completely helpless and anxious.

Then, it hit her, something that she could do that may help her abducted friend. With the small amount of calmness left in her, she breathed slowly. It would require tranquility to be able to perform the last aid she could send to her friend, an SOP that she learned from her hometown. She had to accomplish it, before it's too late; before they have gone too far that searching for them would deem impossible.

Yuna looked up at the sky, after she became collected enough to concentrate. She prayed, and hoped that the entities above would heed her prayer.

She closed her eyes and chanted, in a tongue only a person like her could understand.

"Please..." She pleaded, to anything or anyone up there, for help. Then, she thought of Rinoa, and the poor girl. "Hang in there."

From the high heavens, if one was to pay close attention, a giant, avian figure could be seen swiftly hovering to the Northern direction from where Yuna was standing, answering to her call.

* * *

**A/N: **Can anyone guess the name of the bird figure that appeared in the sky at the end? :3


	19. Separated Determination

**Disclaimer**: Again, I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note**: Hi! How's everyone? I found enough time to write this chapter over the week, and I'm glad I was able to finish this in time for the deadline I set for myself to update weekly. I don't know though if I will still be able to do that for next week (since school is starting to become evil again) but I'll do my best to post the next chapter as soon as I can... (or write if time allows me to). ^^"

Thank you for all those who reviewed... seriously, you guys inspire me so much to go on with my story... being fond of my story means so much to me... :3 : _Sorceress Rinoa Heartily, MonMonCandie, saya, FFAddicted, Takers Hidden Soul Mate, TheLionofSorrow, Cerulean Crystal, floutistvivi, wais101, Tiny Cherie, DarkerImage69, GoodGirlGoneTobi, Nami-Lass, FaithFromTheMystic, Lady-Rinoa14, GreenOpalus, and Verdanii_. *huggles to all*

* * *

It had been exactly seventeen minutes since Cloud realized that Terra and Rinoa were missing in the guest room of the suite.

With panic and worry that were hidden under his fake calm composure, he paged everyone in the building to search each and every possible corners of the structure. Even his mentor Sephiroth and the people he shared the suite with started looking for the two girls, while he decided to search the whole city.

"I'm coming with you." His best friend Zack said as he grabbed his own coat after Cloud did.

They stepped out of the building and soon ordered their mako senses to become more alert and keener for any sign of two missing escapees. The two SOLDIERs checked every store through its wide, transparent windows, and transferred to restaurants, the marketplace, and even the city's park.

Still, nothing.

For twenty minutes, they managed to quickly check all the possible places for the raven haired and the mage, to no avail. They then decided to roam around the more hidden spots within the town, to take their chances that the girls might just be there. Cloud was becoming more fretful with each passing minute with the intense anxiety. He knew Terra would be in a much, vulnerable state once she stepped out of the building, and he just couldn't stand the thought that something might have happened to her, which was not far from possible. And to think Rinoa was probably with her too, who was apparently not aware of the risk they took. He never saw her came out of the room like she usually did when she decided to go home. That gave him two people to worry about.

_Damn! _He cursed to himself.

"Cloud..." Zack mumbled, while squinting at a far distance, as if he wasn't sure of what he was seeing. "is that... Yuna?"

Cloud looked at Zack then turned to the same direction he was gazing at. With the enhanced eyes he had, the blond was able to see clearly even at far distance. Indeed, at a small street-way, he could see the brunette's small figure, though he could barely see the expression on her face. She seemed to be moving too much though, with a phone on her hand that she held against her ear.

Suddenly, Cloud felt his phone vibrating against his pocket. He looked suspiciously at the distant sight of Yuna and flicked his phone open.

"_Cloud!_" Yuna's voice were shaky, her tone panicking.

"Yuna," Cloud replied, maintaining the cool in his voice to calm the girl down.

"_It's Rinoa!_"

He could feel his heart stop a beat, his eyes suddenly became alert.

"Rinoa? Wha-"

"_She was with this girl... I was supposed to meet them... then there were two men... there was smoke! Then, I couldn't find them! They're gone!_"

He could take in her last statements. _There was smoke? They're gone? _

"Yuna," He called her name again, trying to calm her, though this time, his voice was matching the anxiety of the girl at the other end of the line. "I-I couldn't catch you. Tell me, what exactly happened."

"_Rin-Rinoa was kidnapped! With the other girl!_" Yuna was crying now, with each sentence caught in her sobs.

Cloud paused. He could feel his pupils shrinking with shock. It was the last thing he wanted to happen.

"_I-I was about to get inside the cafe whe-when I saw two guys standing by them..._"

_No..._

"_Th-then, there was white smoke, I couldn't see a thing..._"

_No..._

"_And j-just like that... they vanished... with the two men._"

"DAMN!" Cloud yelled, almost throwing his phone to the ground. His company was looking at him worriedly, as if he already knew what happened.

"I knew something like this would happen, I KNEW IT!" The blond shouted followed by a string of curses. "Stay where you are, I'm coming to you!" He commanded at Yuna sharply before running to her direction.

* * *

"I don't mind having you here for a bit longer, but..." Irvine threw himself lazily on his couch inside his living room, referring to his friend Squall who had been watching the television blankly ever since he arrived. "aren't you suppose to pick Rinoa up by now?"

"Hmmm..." the one with a shorter brown hair muttered as he leaned forward and placed his face inside his hands. "I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don- oooh...." Irvine finally realized. That wounded look on Squall's face was a rare sight; so rare that the whole Deling City would pay a million gil to see it. But the expression meant alot, something serious to be specific. And with the current behavior and response Squall was showing, it was pretty obvious something happened between him and Rinoa. He knew relationships all too well, and he knows when a certain crisis called "love quarrel" just erupted.

And it was happening right now, in front of his eyes, through Squall's embodiment. He somehow felt stupid for not realizing it early on when Squall started to act strangely since he arrived. Actually, now that he thought about it, it was only the second time in three years Squall actually visited him like this. The first one was during their first year in high school when he had a really bad fight with his father about "public responsibility" or somewhere along that line.

Judging from those two incidents, he knew Squall only visited him whenever he was incredibly upset.

"Aww, c'mon now." He said, with his attempt to comfort Rinoa's sulking boyfriend. "What happened?"

Squall turned his head up to his host and turned back to the security of his palms. "Nothing."

Irvine sighed at the sullen sight of the toughest guy he knew before picking up the remote control and began scanning through different channels his satellite network could offer. Funny how someone like Rinoa could cause the downfall of someone as stone-hard as Squall.

_He sure has changed_, he thought. _But only when Rinoa's around._

Because he bet she was the only one who could get him to talk right now.

Then, a familiar tone filled the air, and Squall felt the vibration of the small mobile device in his pocket. He reached for it immediately, hoping to see Rinoa's name on the screen. Because if it was her, deciding to finally talk to him or asking to pick her up, then he'll happily oblige.

But his expectant anticipation swiftly turned into annoyance when he saw Tidus' name flashing on the screen. Reluctantly, he answered the phone.

"What?"

"_Squall! There's trouble!_" The blonde replied frantically from the other line.

Squall narrowed his eyes. Even if Tidus was the happy-go-lucky-cheerful type of guy, Squall trusted him when he said things like "trouble".

"_Yuna called! She said Rinoa_-"

_Rinoa? _

"_was kidnapped!_"

"WHAT?!" Squall shot up from his chair, which made Irvine jerk his body with alarm on his couch while looking worriedly at Squall, whose mind suddenly became empty, except with the thought of Rinoa in danger.

"_Yuna said she was supposed to meet Rinoa and this other girl_,"

_Other girl_, Squall thought. _Must be the girl she always visits at Shinra_.

"_a-and suddenly two guys appeared! Then, she said there was smoke! All over the place! And then, the next thing she knew_," He wouldn't want to hear what he had to say next. "_they were gone!"_

Squall was massaging his temple with his free hand. He didn't know why he was having such a headache, and he partly blamed his heart for pounding so fast, enough to raise his blood pressure way up to Hyne's heaven. Rinoa was in trouble, that was given. But without any idea who took her, he didn't know where to begin his search for her, which was bad. Definitely bad, no matter in what angle he tried to look at it. If he didn't get himself to her on time, then who knows what might happen.

"Shit." He hissed. "SHIT!"

* * *

His wheels screeched as he recklessly parked in front of the infamous building. He stormed inside, without even taking a glance at the employees in dark suits that tried to stop him. He could care less if he, specifically Squall Leonhart-Loire the SeeD, was forbidden to even breathe the same air of that establishment. From the far distance of the large lobby, he could spot the blond who was giving instructions to a number of uniformed and armed people who seemed like infantrymen. Squall was a foot away when Cloud finally glanced at him, but was too late to avoid the expected punch the brunette threw at his cheek.

"What happened?" Squall growled, in such a low voice it was obvious he was restraining a yell in his throat.

Cloud did not respond. His body was slightly slouched, maintaining his own balance from the impact of the blow. His head was turned sideways, to the direction of the punch. The SOLDIER did not look at him, rather did he change that defeated look on his face.

Squall grabbed the blond's collar and forced him to face him. "ANSWER ME YOU FUCKING PRICK!" He couldn't control his voice anymore that matched his frightening glare full of anger. "You _told_ me you were not going to let anything happen to her! Fuck that, I don't even know why Rinoa _trusted_ you, and why I _believed_ her!" He growled again between his clenched teeth as he shook Cloud, who was not fighting back. The men under the blond's command gathered around Squall and tried to pull him away from their superior, thought it took them great effort, because a boyfriend's fury always overruled.

"DAMN!" He roared after he finally let go of his rival and shoved off the grasps of the infantrymen. Squall turned away, and attempted to even out his breathing. Just the thought of Rinoa made the problem seem even worse, even if he knew that he could command he entire Esthar army and every SeeD in Balamb Garden to search for her. He still felt helpless for not preventing the kidnapping happen in the first place.

This time, it was Cloud who was glaring at Squall. It was not of his usual wrathful glare, but it was a mixture of empathy, sorry, and of regret. More than ever in his whole life, he felt like a failure, once again.

With one last deep exhale, Squall looked over his shoulder, at Cloud's direction. "How are you going to look for them?" He challenged, with clamped jaw.

"Yuna summoned an aeon to track them." Cloud replied nonchalantly. "There's a big chance that the kidnappers won't be able to spot it, since the aeon flies at an impossible height beyond detection. We are going to follow the aeon's trail and its summoner's directions to get to Rinoa and Terra."

It was only then Squall realized Yuna's presence among them. She was frozen on her ground, her expression was screaming "fear" and "worry".

"I'll do everything that I can." She said, in her usual soft voice, with strong determination in her tone. "I will not stop until Rinoa and Terra are safe."

_At least there's someone smart here_, Squall thought.

Without taking another glance at Rinoa's classmates, he began walking his way to the exit.

"Hey!" Zack, who had been silent all this time, called to the brunette. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm gonna go find Rinoa." He mumbled, though loud enough for the rest to hear.

"How are you going to do that?" the black haired SOLDIER asked worriedly.

Squall halted his tracks and looked down on the floor, reflecting on Zack's question. It was actually his first problem, he didn't know how to look for Rinoa. And with the only summoner he knew (which was Yuna, though he was surprised she was a summoner) that had an efficient aeon by Cloud's side, he had no other way to search for his girlfriend with as much skilfulness. "I... don't know." He honestly had no idea.

"So what, you're just gonna fly and keep guessing where Rinoa is? Is that it?" Cloud asked, with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I'll take my chances with my GFs." The SeeD replied.

Cloud narrowed his eyes disbelievingly at the brunette. He knew that SeeDs like Squall were required to be equipped with Guardian Forces to rely on with their abilities during battle. But they were not as dependable nor as powerful as those aeons under a summoner's command, especially with the situation they were currently facing.

And he knew Squall was aware of that.

"You're an idiot." Cloud shot at him sternly.

"And you are useless." Squall retorted, before he proceeded with his exit.

"Squall!" Yuna called and ran to his direction. She pulled his arm, just when he was a foot away from the door. He turned to look at his arm, then glanced at her. His frown suddenly disappeared with the begging sight of her.

"I know, it may sound conceited, but Rinoa wouldn't want to hear that you are fighting with her friend, especially at times like this. I'm worried, what sadness it will bring Rinoa when she finds out that you value your arrogance and pride more than her safety. I know, she will deny even thinking that way, but I know too that deep inside, it will hurt her. It will break her heart." She looked at the two men, her hands clasped together with plea after she let go of the brunette's arm. "So please, just this once, work together, at least for Rinoa's sake."

Squall glanced at Cloud, who was looking away from his direction. If he didn't want to work with him, then that was more than fine. He knew he should be able to rescue Rinoa and Terra as a SOLDIER with an army and a summoner by his side.

Shinra's intruder turned away as well and shut his eyes disapprovingly. He and his rival were never meant to work together, hell they were not even meant to co-exist. But setting his arrogance and pride aside, like what Yuna asked him and Cloud to do, he honestly did not need Cloud's help. Though it would be hunderdfold better to have Yuna for his aid, he should be able to deal everything on his own, like he always did in most part of his life. He was able to take Adel down when he was only fifteen years old. He should be able to save Rinoa by now. Maybe by himself too.

"Sorry, Yuna." He muttered apologetically and furthered with his exit. The young summoner looked at him downheartedly as she watched him disappear beyond the door.

* * *

"What do you mean you can't send SeeDs?!"

"_Squall, we only send SeeDs out to do critically important missions..._"

"This IS an important mission!" Squall yelled in reply over his phone that was squeezed in his stiffened hand.

Cid gave out a tired sigh from the other end of the line before replying to the desperate SeeD. "_Squall, as much as I wanted to help you, I-_"

"Then do yourself a favor and help me!" the younger one retorted.

"_Squall..._"The brunette could imagine the headmaster massaging his forehead at his stubbornness.

"_Dear, let me talk to him._" Edea's faint voice said as she grabbed the phone from her husband. "Squall." She acknowledged gently.

"Aunt Edea."

"_Sweetie_," Her tone was just as hopeful as her intention, but Squall knew he had to hold on for the worst answer. "_It's not that we don't want to extend our help to you, it's just that, all our SeeDs are dispatched now to their assigned missions. More important ones that called for more assistance._"

Squall repressed a growl as he impatiently massaged the bridge of his nose. "You know what, forget it." He quickly muttered and hang up.

He was on the deck of Ragnarok, pacing back and forth on the floor. There was only one way left for him to do if he wanted any assistance, which was what he really needed right now; assembling the Esthar army under his order . But it was something that would result to unlikeable possibilities. For one, he had to go through his father, the President of Esthar. Though that won't be much of a problem, since Laguna was always most willing to do anything for his dear son, his talkative nature might accidentally inform the General, his friend, the grave new about his daughter. He had to remind him not to tell General Caraway about it. Ever. Not even after it is all over. He was only seventeen years old, too young to experience the wrath of an angry father. Another one would be his fear of showing any sign of vulnerability to Laguna Loire. He was supposed to be an independent young man who can handle all kinds of situation on his own. And knowing how Laguna overreacts often when something was bothering Squall, he might grow to become an overprotective father and begin sending him bodyguards. And Squall can't blame him, he had the perfect reason, after all that they've been through during the war in Esthar...

But Rinoa...

He picked his phone up again and dialed Laguna's number.

After a few rings, he finally answered. "Dad, it's me."

* * *

"What did you get ourselves into now, Irvine Kinneas?"

Selphie demanded with a deadly voice while they were trying to find their way out of an unknown mini tunnel inside Ragnarok.

"I-uhm... errr..." The taller brunette muttered defenselessly as he studied the whole room, looking for a possible exit.

"I don't wanna die yet, Irvine! I don't want to be stuck here forever!"

"Shut up, chickenwuss, before I fry you till the heavens cry out for my mercy." Seifer turned at Irvine. "And then, if you don't find us a way out here, I'll fry you next, cowboy."

"Shut it guys, it's the first time I got inside this thing, okay?" Irvine scowled agitatedly as he started pressing random buttons on a panel beside the door that looked sensible to him.

"Irvine, if you don't mind, let me take a look at it." Quistis' cool voice cooed clamorously, that kind of tone that made Irvine step aside almost immediately without hesitation.

After a few beeps made by Quistis's fingers, the door finally opened and they were finally out at the open.

"Tch, I'm almost glad Quistis came with us. Or else I'll be stuck with a bunch of wimps."

"Almost?" Quistis repeated with a hiss.

Irvine, after receiving a call from Zack who told him that Squall decided to find Rinoa on his own, called each of his friends to go to Squall's aid. Knowing of the large possibility that Squall would turn them all down, they sneaked into Ragnarok and almost immediately lost their way inside.

They were now at a familiar large hall, where they basically started since they set foot inside the airship. They checked every room in their search of the pilot's deck, to no avail. It was only when Quistis noticed that there was one more place they haven't gone through yet.

"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Selphie, who was turning green, commented silently from all the motion sickness she had to endure while they were flying.

"You can't get sick now." The blond beauty said, while looking at something above them. "We still haven't checked that bridge yet."

* * *

Ragnarok had reached a small town in the middle of the ocean called "The Fisherman's Horizon", as it hovered over the vast body of water, following the treading Leviatan under Squall's control. The GF was working along with another GF which was Pandemona, a mystic figure known to be powerful with wind elemental. It detected every trace and sign left by Yuna's aeon in the air before guiding Leviathan, the only one that can catch up with the fast pace of the airship. It may not be as good as Yuna's aeon, but it was better than nothing.

Closely, he watched the ocean creature as it swam like a giant eel a little bit under the visible surface of the ocean. Squall, who was not taking his eyes off the GF right after he made that call with his father, was beginning to be wary how he seemed to be getting a bit slower than his guide. He then wondered if Cloud was already on the move. Not that he cared.

"Stop it!" A squeaky, female voice complained from behind, which suddenly broke the silence on the deck.

"This is NEAT! Never been to an airship before." Another voice said with amazement, though this time, it was a male.

Squall quickly pressed "autopilot", picked up his gunblade from his side and turned around.

Then, his eyes widened with horror.

"What the-"

"Yo Squall!" A beaming Zell waved his gloved hand to the brunette. "Nice baby you got here!"

"Woohoo! Can I drive? Please? Please? Please?" Selphie begged after bouncing on her spot and then quickly sat on the pilot's chair without waiting for Squall's permission, her hands already on the controls. "This is SWEET!"

"Hey! Get of-"

"I thought you have motion sickness!"

"Don't worry babe, I'll get me-self a ship like this so I can fly you to the moon." Seifer said smugly, referring to Quistis.

"I don't remember ever saying anything about being fond of that." The female blond retorted sharply. "And don't _ever_ call me 'babe'."

"Are we following that huge thing on water? Are we? Are we?"

Squall, who had not processed yet the sudden commotion, was lost on wonder how his friends suddenly appeared inside the pilot's deck. No, scratch that, he couldn't figure out how they managed to get _inside _the ship. And at a time like this too. It was as if they suddenly appeared to help him out in his search for Rinoa.

Then, something hit him.

He gave Irvine a deadly glare, who simply shrugged calmly. "Sorry man." He said.

Squall knew, from the moment Tidus called, that something like this would happen. He only refused to think of the big possibilities that it dreadfully would. He slapped his palm to his forehead. _Of course Irvine would know trouble was coming._

"Don't tell me you guys are here to help me." He said blankly, as if he already knew.

"Actually," Quistis began to walk a few feet away from Seifer. "we are."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Seifer shrugged.

"Yeah dude, we can't let you go out there alone." Zell followed as he plomped down the floor.

"But I'm not alone, damnit! I have..." Squall stopped. He wasn't sure if he should tell them the whole story about him actually being an Estharian.

"You have what?" Seifer asked, in behalf of the rest of the group.

"Forget it, I-."

"Squall, since we're already here, we need to know every detail of this rescue mission." Quistis calmly cut in.

"Look, I did not ask you to be here." Squall snapped back. "I don't even want you to be here. Now I have to be held responsible for all of you should something happen!"

"Ha ha." Seifer haughtily mocked a laugh. "You? Worried about us?_ Us_?"

"You're not the only SeeD around here, you know." Quistis uttered, smiling.

Squall's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"We came from the Gardens too, you know?" Zell demonstrated the salute Squall recognized all too well. "You're too sucked up with your lone self, you don't even know anything about your friends."

"Galbadia Garden, SeeD candidate." Irvine tipped his hat downward, grinning proudly.

"Trabia Garden, SeeD candidate too!" Selphie cheered while still taking control of the ship.

"Balamb Garden, student for four years. You might not recognize me, but I became a SeeD candidate around the time you took Adel down." Zell joined in.

"You might not recognize me either. I became SeeD just this year." Quistis said. "Oh, and I'm from Balamb Garden too."

"Got dragged into Balamb Garden by her." Seifer, obviously irritated with the fact, rolled his eyes while pointing his thumb at the female blonde. "Not yet a SeeD though, still a candidate."

Squall frowned at the group before him. "Most of you are just students." He shook his head incredulously.

"Yeah, but we still are something." Irvine said, folding his arms. "We learned alot already, being a SeeD candidate and all. That should be enough to help you out."

Squall sighed in defeat. "Fine. As if I have a choice." They were already here. And he would be stuck with them whether he liked it or not.

"Uh huh." Selphie replied for the party.

"So what's the plan, puberty boy?" The taller blond male implored in a semi-formal way.

Squall sat down beside the pilot's chair before his eyes darted around them focusing on each of their eyes as he briefed them with their mission. "As you may all know, Rinoa and another girl named Terra was kidnapped by two unknown men. Yuna, Rinoa's best friend, happened to be a summoner. She called an aeon to follow the kidnappers so she could keep track of their location. But she's with Cloud now."

"Cloud is on the move too." Quistis expanded.

"Yeah, he is. He was gathering some sort of an army to search for Rinoa and her company." Squall replied. "Without Yuna's help, I decided to use GF to distinguish the trails left by Yuna's aeon. And since it was an air aeon, I used Pandemona. Then, I also summoned Leviathan to work with Pandemona to give me a visible guide of the directions."

"Got it." Selphie nodded, and slowly accelerated the ship without taking her gaze off the large water creature beneath them.

"Did you call for back-up?" Zell inquired.

Squall nodded. "I did. But Cid said there was no SeeD he could send out."

Quistis rolled her eyes. "I AM a SeeD."

"He can't send you alone, can he?" Seifer asked in a sweet voice, about to rub he female SeeD's back, who immediately dodged his gesture.

"Any other back-up?" Irvine asked suspiciously, knowing there was something more.

"Hmm..." Squall muttered. He had to tell them. It's now or never. "Yeah." _Here it goes. _"I called Esthar's President and requested for the entire Esthar army to come over and help. They'll be arriving a bit later after I confirm to them the location and they'll surround the place for back-up."

* * *

"LET ME THROUGH!" Cloud growled at the tall, bulky man who strangely happened to be the President's secretary. The man was effortlessly pushed aside by his boss' angry son, as he watched him storm farther into his father's office. Rufus Shinra, who was expecting his son's outburst anytime soon, barely looked up from his papers that were scattered on his wide desk.

Cloud angrily slammed his hands on the surface "What the hell are you doing Rufus?!"

The President finally had the dignity to glance at his son, keeping his calm expression on his face. "I wonder what you mean." He said in a mild tone.

"Don't fucking play with me!" the younger blond threatened by shooting his index finger just inches away from his father's face. "I've made every arrangements needed for this rescue mission, every fucking requirement that your goddamn company demands, and you're not approving it?!"

Rufus slowly clamped his hands together, staring intently at Cloud. "I did tell you I won't be allowing this mission _until _tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Tomorrow_? This mission can't wait any minute later!"

The older one closed his eyes and sighed. He then began massaging his temple. "Do you realize that you are being reckless, Cloud?" He creased his eyebrows upward, as if lecturing a stubborn child with repetitive sermons. "You have no initiative, nor any clear idea what you're going through. You don't have any clue who kidnapped them. Hell you haven't even confirmed if it really was Terra who was kidnapped."

"I don't have to confirm it, I know it." Cloud gritted his teeth.

"How can you be so sure? Do you have the evidence?" Even the President was growing impatient. "All you have now for a report is a missing girl, a summoner who used an aeon to track the kidnappers, and your unreliable knowledge that they are somehow connected." He squinted with doubt in his eyes. "I couldn't think of anything more foolish than that, and now here you are, expecting me to waste the time of my infantrymen over some ridiculous mission."

Cloud's pale face was beginning to turn bright red with the fury boiling inside him. "Terra or not, someone. Was. Kidnapped." His voice raised with every word that came out of his mouth. "That's what my classmate saw in the cafe. I don't know what else you're expecting from me."

"I'm expecting you to do a thorough investigation on this and know what exactly are you dealing with. I can't afford any mistakes right now, Cloud."

"I am _not_ going to make any mistake." Cloud replied sternly.

"Those are no comforting words from someone who failed his mission and lost the mage he was supposed to be watching over." Rufus sardonically stated.

Cloud groaned and swiftly turned away and walked rapidly out of the office. His speed, driven by his anger, scared the wits out of every person he passed by.

He burst into the suite where Yuna was anxiously waiting for him, then went straight to his room. He walked to a nearby wall and punched the unresponsive victim with his fist. He threw another punch. And another, until his knuckle was numb with pain. He felt his body lean against the hard wall, slowly sliding against it, down to the hard, carpeted floor.

He was tired of everything that happened. He was tired of himself.

It wasn't the first time he felt frustrated because of his failure, he had enough of that for a lifetime. But never did he feel any more powerless than this. Somehow, Rufus' words filled him with doubt and hope; doubt that Terra might just still be around the city, and hope with the thought of the possibility that she was not kidnapped. But what if she was? She disappeared with Rinoa, and the chances of her being abducted with his classmate were big.

Rinoa... she made the steel in his chest weigh even more heavily. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this, he was responsible for her disappearance as well. He promised too that he would not let anything happen to her, not even inside the safety of his own building. That was why he let Squall punch him. He deserved it. Rinoa trusted him, and he proved her wrong.

Every passing second drove him even more to do something instantly. But he couldn't. Without Shinra's facilities, equipments and men, he couldn't do anything. Maybe Squall was right, he was useless.

He was too absorbed in his thoughts that he did not hear the slight knock on his door by the other young SOLDIER.

"Cloud." He called, but only heard a muffled swearing from the blond.

"Cloud?" He called again, only a bit louder Finally, the owner of the room turned to him. Regret and anger were obvious in his face.

"Cloud, there's... something I gotta tell you." Zack stepped further into the room. "I know Shinra might fire me for this but... I called an outside help."

Cloud squinted his eyes suspiciously.

"There's this guy I know who flies airships. Fast airships. Name's Cid Highwind. I called him just a few moments ago when you were in your dad's office. And he said he's willing to help, and even offered me his fastest shi-"

Cloud quickly stood up from the floor and grabbed Zack's collar, most like how Squall grabbed his earlier that afternoon.

"Why..." He hissed between his teeth. "didn't you _say _so in the first place?"

* * *

**A/N:** To be continued... :3

*gives ice cream to everyone who correctly guessed the bird figure from the previous chapter* XD


	20. Pursuit

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note**: I must admit, I had a hard time writing the action scene on this one, and I can only imagine how harder it will be to write the next chapters... *sigh* but I will carry on! I will do everything to write each chapter in the best way I can! TwT

Anyway, I really REALLY appreciate all the reviews you've been giving me, and I would really like to know what you think of the chapters I've been uploading weekly. Your reviews mean alot to me, and your thoughts always help me write. However, if there are any other concerns, issues, other things that you want to talk about, please do pm them all to me, and I'm more than happy to oblige in replying... Thank you.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^

* * *

"Where are we going?"

Yuna inquired her two companions, Cloud and Zack, as they hurriedly ran towards the exit of the building. What made the scene seem more urgent was the swords the two men were carrying on their backs. Also, their uniformed turtle-neck dark clothes made it even more look like a serious mission. And it did not require a bright brain to see that, which tensed Yuna even more.

"We're going to meet a friend of mine." Zack replied, in his unusual calm and serious tone. "He offered his airship for help."

Without any more word, she continued to tag along. It seemed serious; well, it had been very serious ever since she witnessed the kidnapping of Rinoa and the other girl. She was debating on calling Tidus to tell him that she will be going somewhere to help Cloud in his search for their classmate because she was afraid it would only worry him.

But before she could think anything more, the three of them were suddenly halted by a group of tall men in dark suits, right before they could reach the exit. Yuna gasped as she watched Cloud and Zack nervously. They were glaring at the group, with a hint of suspicion in their glowing blue eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself together. She had to calm down, she needed to trust her friends. But she decided that if worse comes to worst, she might have to use her stronger-than-the-mountains determination to push themselves through. But she hope she never had to use that.

"Sorry Cloud." One of the men with shoulder-length black hair said sternly, who appeared to be the leader. His eyes were as fierce and hard as they can ever be, and Yuna wondered how teenagers such as Cloud and Zack could endure his stare. "Your father's orders."

However, the two SOLDIERs remained silent. Then, slowly, they raised their arms, reaching for their long swords without taking their eyes off the group.

They were going to fight.

"It doesn't have to be like this!" Yuna bravely cried.

"We have no choice, Yuna." Cloud replied, his eyes were still piercing, especially towards the man. "It's our only way out."

Before she could say "Stop", she heard another voice approaching from behind.

"Let them out, Tseng."

The three teenagers turned around, to see an advancing tall man with long, silver hair, along with two other familiar figures; a man shorter than he was with short, jet-black spikes, and another tall one with ginger-red hair. Their swords were sheathed, a sign of their attempt for peaceful negotiation. The man, who was apparently named Tseng, turned from the youngsters to the three men.

"Negative, General." He replied.

"Too bad." Sephiroth said, in a monotonous tone. "That was not the reply I was looking for." And with that, he finally drew his sword out, as the other two followed suit. Cloud immediately covered Yuna with his body to protect her from the ongoing chaos, while Zack drew his sword out to guard her from anyone who dared to get anywhere near them.

With only guns against long swords in the hands of extremely skilled SOLDIERs, most of the men in dark suits were knocked down in a matter of seconds. As the three older men finally managed to clear the path for their exit, Angeal turned to his student Zack, with an expression of much urgency.

"Go! NOW!" He instructed as he tilted his head towards the door.

Without wasting anymore second, the three ran to their exit, and were finally outside the Shinra grounds.

Zack was still alarmed and composed enough to remember the directions to Cid Highwind's base.

"Over here!" He waved his hand to the other two, gesturing them to follow him as he began running to the right side of the city.

* * *

Yuna was sitting quietly on a chair inside the pilot's deck of the airship Zack was talking about earlier. The owner, who preferred calling him Cid right after he not-so-calmly (though he claimed it was his most calm self) lectured the young summoner about not calling him "Mr. Highwind", was a man of a bright mind, but with a foul mouth.

He was standing beside Cloud while stirring the metal wheel of the ship as he rambled about the part of his life when he used to work for Shinra.

"That rich bastard was my old boss." He scornly started. _Yeah, he is a bastard alright_, Cloud silently agreed. "Never paid any overtime fees for all of my hardwork. I even bothered offering new friggin' brilliant models of new useful airships for his company, but he fuckin' turned down every single one of them. So I began working for some resistance group, called the AVALANCHE, as a sideline. They paid me pretty damn well, even better than that Shinra scoundrel ever did. When he found out, he kicked my ass out of the company and fired me for life. Not like I'm bein' bitter about it, I am more than happy being a freelance captain of my ow-"

"Can't you go any faster?" Cloud cut in impatiently, seeing how they just left the city for a slow thirty minutes.

Cid smirked, a dangerously wide one. "Well why didn't ya say so?"

Suddenly, Cloud felt himself thrown back to a wall, within a good five meters from where he was standing, all thanks to the extreme inertia caused by the sudden acceleration of the airship. Yuna and Zack tightly held on to their chairs, their eyes wide shut as their bodies were involuntarily pressed against the rests of their seats.

"How do ya like that?" Cid said before chuckling proudly as he watched the blurry sights of trees and waters they passed by.

Suddenly, he heard Cloud's muffled command. Or was it a plea?

"Wha?" the pilot asked.

"STOP!" Cloud yelled against the roaring sounds of the ship's engine.

"Aye!" Cid saluted and pressed a button. Cloud's body fell on the floor, while his two classmates finally relaxed on their chairs.

They finally slowed down, though they were still considerably fast for an airship.

"How was the ride, kiddies?" Cid asked.

He only heard sickly groans and grunts for responses.

"If you're gonna throw up, I'm warning ya better don't! Get the hell out of here first!"

Cloud huffed before he forced himself to stand up. He was still feeling a bit dizzy from the speedy ride, but he ordered himself to concentrate. "C-Cid... wait. We don't have... directions yet."

He approached the gasping Yuna, who seemed to be trying to take in alot of air before she let her system throw up her lunch inside the scary man's ship.

"You okay?" the blond asked worriedly.

Yuna gulped before nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay..." He nodded. "Can you tell us where your aeon is heading?"

She looked at him with her multi-colored orbs before nodding. She closed her eyes and let herself to be in deep trance, to get connected to her aeon.

He waited patiently as he watched her calm, but focused expression.

Finally, she opened her eyes and turned to Cloud. "Valefor already found the place." She nodded. "It's southeast from here... at a place south of Esthar where... " She furrowed her eyebrows. "where monsters are rampant."

Cloud painfully closed his eyes and turned his head away from Yuna. With his sky-blue ones half opened, he inhaled deeply before turning back to the summoner and smiled. "Thank you." He whispered.

Zack watched his best friend from his chair with much anticipation as he approached Cid, who was waiting for the heading.

"We're going to Tear's Point." He said.

* * *

They were a mile past the Fisherman's Horizon when Selphie suddenly noticed something.

"Uh, Squall?" She nervously called. "You might wanna... take a look at that."

The owner of the ship hurriedly ran to her side and leaned forward to take the closest look he could manage at the huge, black figure, flying not so far from them. He squinted to assist his eyes with more focus, until he finally realized that it was actually an airship.

Selphie turned to him worriedly. "What is it?"

Squall smirked. "Nothing to worry about." He turned to face Selphie. "It's just Cloud."

"Wha- really?!"

"It's Shera." Quistis said cooly. "It belongs to a ship engineer named Cid Highwind."

"This is THE Shera?" Selphie's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoooahh... that's so cool! I've been wanting to see it in actual for so very long time!!!"

Irvine made a mental note to ask Zack if he could bring Selphie to ride that ship.

"How did you know it's Strife?" Seifer asked Squall curiously.

"Hmm... gut instincts." The brunette shrugged.

"Yeah yeah, the rivalry instinct stuff..." Zell rolled his eyes.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Selphie tilted her head up to Squall.

"Nothing." He replied. "Let' just keep flying."

* * *

"Looks like we've got company." Cid smirked as he took a glance of his radar. There was a green dot on it at the upper part from the center, indicating that the "company" he was talking about was just right behind them.

Cloud walked to the window at the side of the deck and indeed there was a giant, red figure flying several meters from them.

"What is it?" Yuna asked as she watched Cloud's brows meet annoyingly. Zack approached him and turned to the direction the blonde was staring. Then, he smiled.

"That's Ragnarok." He said reassuringly. "Squall's ship."

The blond's eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the red aircraft. He folded his arms and watched Ragnarok catch up with their pace.

Then, out of nowhere, a long, scaly figure slithered in front of the window where Cloud was standing. His eyes suddenly widened with shock and stepped back from the window.

"What the hell was that?!" Zack shouted.

Yuna turned to them, and so did Cid. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Suddenly, the airship shook, and a loud roar was heard from the outside of the ship.

Cloud ran to Cid's radar, but did not notice any strange signal from it.

"What the-"

"Damn it, if it isn't Evrae!" Cid chuckled menacingly, as it roared for the second time.

Cloud gave him a look of disbelief before the ship shook again violently.

"Shit!" He hissed.

"Don't worry kids," Cid pressed a button, and they heard a sound of machinery, as if something was being opened. "Papa got this."

* * *

"Squall!" Selphie yelled panickly as they watched a huge, snakelike figure with four long limbs and wide wings hover around Shera. It seemed to been examining the airship as it exerimentally pushed it with its long tail.

Squall's eyes narrowed. He expected some fighting, but never did he expect it to arrive at an insanely earlier time. He shouldn't care about Cloud's safety, but knowing that he was Rinoa's friend and the fact that he probably had Yuna with him were enough reasons to push him to do something. He couldn't get himself to deny them of the chance to be saved.

He extended his arm and pressed a few buttons on the panel. Then, from the pilot's view, hundreds of barrels suddenly appeared from both sides of the ship. He pressed another button, and the machine quickly followed the given command as another kind of wheel with more buttons suddenly replaced the normal pilot's wheel Selphie was previously controlling.

"Move." He ordered sternly at the female brunette, who quickly rose up and stood aside. Squall took her seat and held onto the new controls. He pushed it forward, which drove Ragnarok to move at a faster pace. He began to direct it somewhere near Shera, and noticed that the other airship was preparing itself with its own armory as well. Columns of steels slid up as they uncovered large, black holes from the sides of the ship. Ragnarok was still too far to attack when Shera released its first assault; hundreds of small, bomb-like missles erupted from the holes and flew to the large, flying creature. It gave out a loud cry at the pain the explosvies caused it, and hit Shera furiously with its two claws. Suddenly, its wings began to glow, and whatever it was, Squall knew it wasn't a good sign.

"Shit." He cursed his own ship to move faster.

The creature slithered again around its victim and flew in front of Cid's ship. It gave another loud roar while its wings grew brighter...

* * *

"Well, that definitely isn't good." Cid said after letting go a few curses.

Cloud watched with wide, wary eyes as Evrae's roar reached the interior of the ship.

"Can't you make another missile attack?" Zack anxiously asked Cid.

"That damn thing's recharging."The older one replied. "Don't worry, it can endure one attack."

"Just... one?" Yuna asked shakily.

"Well, yeah...."

Suddenly the edges of he monster's wings began to form numerous glowing orbs. Then, they flew away from the creature's wings under its command towards Shera and they exploded as soon as they touched the ship.

Needless to say, the whole ship shook violently.

Zack ran to Yuna and shielded her should something worse happen. Cloud fell on the floor, while Cid latched tightly on his wheel for support.

Evrae growled at them angrily and prepared itself to charge at them. After leting out another roar, it swiftly flew towards them. The occupants of the ship, except for the furious Cid, watched in horror as the monster attempted to break through the front windows of Shera.

It was inches away from the ship when it suddenly wailed as hundreds of bullets that came out of nowhere shot Evrae.

"Huh?" Cloud frowned in surprise while he turned to the direction of their help's source.

Then, there it was, the same red ariship he was glaring at before the monster appeared; Ragnarok. With endless rain of bullets, it generously shot Evrae before it effortlessly turned to the other side of the black ship.

The blonde grinned. "Squall."

"_Earth to Cloud, Earth to Cloud, do you copy?_" A male, squeaky voice suddenly came out of Cid's mini radio.

"Cid here, captain of this ship." Cid replied. He then turned to Cloud. "Hey sonny, phonecall."

Cloud walked beside him and picked up the small transmitter. "Uh, this is Cloud, do you copy?"

"_Yo! Zell here!_" The voice cheerfully said. "_What's up?_"

"Uh..." Cloud thought for a moment. "Monster... attack?"

"_Yeah, we can see that from he- HEY! Let go!_"

"_Gimme that!_" Another male voice said, though this time, it was a deeper one. "_Hey Cloud, this is Seifer, flying with Squall here._"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Just how many are you over there?"

"_Hmm... let's see... one... two... three... ah! That doesn't matter! Squall just wanted to tell you that he will be attacking that monster to give your ship some time before you strike another set of your missiles."_

"Well, tell yer buddy to give my Shera here another two minutes to recharge. Then, we'll blow this damn thing away." Cid replied.

"_Can't it be anytime sooner?_" Seifer said impatiently. "_Because, you know, gunning this shit down doesn't last forever._"

"Hey! You're getting far too demanding, young man. Shera may not be as fucking perfect as she was beautiful, and she ain't releasing weapons until her armory's fully recharged, ya hear?"

"_So, Shera is just a useless piece of crap_."

"Watch your mouth!"

"_After you._"

Cloud slapped his forehead. If he let this go on, Cid and Seifer will end up being enemies instead. And that won't be a pretty sight. "Is there anyone else more sensible that I can talk with?" He asked.

"_Me._" A familiar voice said. "_Selphie's doing the gunning._"

"Squall." Cloud nodded in acknowledgement. Finally, they were talking, and working together at that too. "We can't release the attack until after two minutes of recharging."

"_Hmm..._" Cloud could tell Squall was taking a moment to think. "_Okay, how about this._" Cloud turned all of his concentration to the radio. "_We'll distract the monste-_"

"Evrae." Cloud said.

"_What?_"

"The name of the monster is Evrae."

"_Right. Okay, we'll distract Evrae and fly it somewhere else. We'll do what we can to lead it away from you for..._" Cloud checked his watch.

"One minute and a half..."

"'_Til your missiles recharge._"

"Okay." Cloud nodded. "Goodluck."

"_Don't be late._"

With that, the communication cut off as he saw Ragnarok stopped firing and dove sideways under the clouds. Evrae then followed it.

* * *

"It's getting closer!" Irvine nervously yelled at he monitored the window for the sight of Evrae.

Squall's eyes narrowed, thinking of another way to distract the monster.

"Hang on tight guys!" Selphie warned. "We're going up, up and awaaay!!!" With the last word, Selphie pulled the wheel close to herself, which made everyone else fall backwards.

Irvine crawled up as he continued to watch for the monster.

"OH MY HYNE, IT'S GONE!" He frantically shouted.

"Is that a good thing?" Zell asked.

"No, you dumbass!" Seifer smacked the other blond's head.

"HEY!"

"I can still see it." Quistis said calmly. "It's catching up with us." She turned to the driver. "Selphie, dive down."

"Yes Ma'am!" Selphie pushed the wheel downward and Ragnarok was once again, under the clouds. But then, it caused everyone to fall forward.

Irvine crawled up again to the window. "Damn! I hate flying!"

"How many more seconds do we have?" Squall asked, still kneeling on the ground.

"Thirty seconds." Quistis replied, while trying to get up from the fall.

_Just enough time..._ Squall though. "Selphie."

"Yes Sir?"

"Can you roll this thing?"

"You mean..." She beamed."for real?!"

"Yes. Can you?" He repeated. "Without killing us?"

"Aye aye!" Selphie saluted. "Hang on tight!"

She turned the wheel in a complete three hundred and sixty degrees.

"BOOYAAH!!"

From an outside view, Ragnarok turned around downward once. Evrae followed it in confusion, as it tried to catch up with the ship's new and unfamiliar pattern of flying. As searched for its victim, Ragnarok appeared right behind it, back with all of its armory. Selphie then began shooting the monster again. Evrae turned around, it's wings glowing dangerously yet again.

That was something they did not forsee. They thought the first time was also the last time.

"Damn!" Squall hissed.

"Is there a shield system on this thing or something?!" Selphie panickly asked.

"No, the question is, can this ship take the attack?" Quistis butted in smartly.

Before Squall could think of another plan that he knew would fail miserably, a familiar black aircraft suddenly appeared from a fairly near distance behind Evrae.

"Shera!" Selphie shrieked.

Inside it, Cloud and Cid were grinning victoriously at their final attack that they know would absolutely defeat the already worn out monster. Cid pressed the miracle button and missiles began flying towards the flying serpent, which took every attack in pain.

Letting out its one last cry, it finally succumbed to its defeat and fell down from the dark smokes the explosion caused. Then, it's lifeless body disappeared beneath the white clouds.

Loud victorious cheers and roars were heard from the two aircrafts, except for the brunette SeeD and the blond SOLDIER. It was a difficult task, but it was thankfully over.

As they all watched the fallen creature, Shera made its way beside Ragnarok. Through the window, Squall could see Cloud, with the small transmitter in his hand. He pulled it inches to his mouth.

"_You guys alright?_" He asked.

Squall put on his own radio. "Yeah, everyone's fine. You?"

"_Great._"

Squall nodded at him. "Good job."

Cloud nodded back. "_You too._"

The brunette smirked. "Does Yuna's aeon already know where we are heading?"

Cloud smiled slightly at Squall's mention of "we". It confirmed that he was finally willing to work with him. "_Yeah. Her aeon spotted the place." _He hesitated for a while, knowing that Squall wouldn't want to hear the name of the infamous place. But he had to know, eventually_."Tear's Point._"

Squall frowned. He knew that place, it was the most dangerous one around where thousands of monsters were known to roam within the vicinity. He never wanted Rinoa to even take a sight of that place, let alone actually be in it.

Cloud seemed to notice the worried look on Squall's face and sighed. He was just as worried as he was, and there was no helping to feel so helpless. There was nothing they could do about it.

"Let's just get there. And fast." Squall finally said.

"_Yes._" The blond turned to Cid. "_Let's go_."

* * *

It took them another painful hour to arrive at their destination, which appeared to be a very strange place. From what Squall remembered of Tear's Point, it was a flat plane with huge, rectangular cubes that trapped monsters from around the place and seal them inside for good. He never remembered seeing a tall, huge structure hovering above the place. Someone must've decided to settle there, and that was definitely a very bad sign. Who in the world with enough sanity would think of staying at a place like Tear's Point? Not unless that person had other unpleasant motives for the said place.

Beside the structure, Squall could see a giant, flying red bird with a colorful tail, and silver rings hanging on one of its wide wings.

Squall's eyes widened, marveled at its sight. "Is that..."

"_Valefor._" Cloud finished.

He saw Yuna stood up and approached the cockpit's window, right beside Cloud. She placed her slender fingers on the glass surface. "_My first aeon..._" She smiled gently.

_First aeon?_ Squall repeated what he heard from the radio. And he was honestly partly impressed and partly shocked. Valefor was one of the most powerful aeons that even existed, even more powerful than his most skillful Guardian Forces, and it was amazing how a young girl such as Yuna had the power to control it. Though it was a common knowledge that summoners were supposed to be that powerful, seeing Yuna as one of them made it look even more remarkable. He watched the aeon in admiration as it floated gracefully in midair.

"_We'll take it from here..._" He heard Yuna said form the transmitter. Roaring melodically for the last time, Valefor flapped its wings forward powerfully and vanished into the heavens. He turned back to Yuna, only to see an arm extended on her side, her head bowed down and her eyes closed. Squall figured that she finally dismissed Valefor.

"_Squall,_" Cloud's louder voice called.

"Yup?"

"_we'll land at that entrance,_" Squall followed the direction Cloud was pointing at, and saw a small hole at the bottom of the gigantic monumental structure.

"... and get inside from there." Squall concluded. Cloud nodded.

"Got it!" Selphie said as she pushed Ragnarok down to their rendezvous.

"_Squall,_" Cloud called again. "_can you keep your ship floating?_"

Squall nodded. "Yeah, sure." The machinery was designed by the genius Dr. Odine, who made a battery-like engine which ran with energy that it produced on its own. So basically, Ragnarok can keep on running forever, for as long as he liked.

"_Okay, good. Cid said he will be looking it out for you._" He said.

Squall squinted with doubt. He didn't know how Cid would be able to do that, since he will be technically looking after two airships; Shera and Ragnarok. What if something happens? How would he be able to deal with that?

But then, being aware enough that it was Cid's idea, then he was pretty sure he could handle it.

Flying Ragnarok by the entrance, Selphie pushed a button responsible for the ramp which would serve as their exit.

"Everyone ready?" The brunette SeeD asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Irvine replied and swayed his shotgun on his shoulder.

"Booyah!" Selphie jumped, her nunchaku in her hand.

"Bring it on!" Zell did his signature lively punch.

"Alright you bunch of sissies," Seifer sheathed his gunblade on his side inder his long, white trenchcoat. "it's time you learn from the best."

"Which would be, me?" Quistis raised an eyebrow at him and dared for an answer. She then turned to Squall and nodded. "Let's go and save Rinoa."

Squall's whole group went all the way down to the boarding ramp, and jumped at the entrance of the structure.

White and blue were everywhere, as were weird tubes and cables potruding from the walls. The hall where they were standing was unguarded, which Squall assumed was a bad sign. Something must be up with the place, and they were unfortunately not bound to find out until they allow it to come up in a surprise.

Cloud suddenly jumped from Shera, so did Zack and Yuna. Squall looked at him with doubt. "Why the hell did you bring Yuna?"

"She insisted on coming." Cloud said calmly. The brunette narrowed his eyes.

"I swear, I tried to convince her to stay." Zack raised his arm for everyone to see a few scratches, bruises and other signs of struggle. "But there's no stopping this woman! She even bit me!" He almost cried at the last part.

"I can do this!" Yuna insisted. "I can help you, and the aeons that are with me. So please, just let me."

"No problem, pretty lady." Irvine tipped his hat up. "There's nothing to fear, because Irvine's here."

Selphie sent him a glare.

"And my darling Selphie too!"

Squall rolled his eyes. Irvine sure never changed, even at the situation they were in. He then turned to look at the still floating Shera, waiting for the army Cloud was gathering earlier before they left. When there was none, he gave Cloud a confusing look. The blond somehow knew what Squall was thinking.

"Don't ask." He said.

The SeeD shrugged it off and turned back to the hallway of the entrance. So did Cloud.

"Alright everyone," Cloud said. "let's mosey."

* * *

Her vision was still blurry as she tried to open her heavy eyes. She was lying on her back, and judging from the low temperature shooting her skin, she was on a metal surface.

_Open_, her brain cried out to her eyes. _Open, please_...

Rinoa blinked, trying to force her eyes to open. Then, she attempted to focus her eyes, until her sight was enough to make her realize that she was in a dark room.

With great effort, she turned her weak head, to take in other parts of her surroundings. There were tubes and flasks with boiling fluids, and white written papers scattered everywhere. The place seemed like a laboratory to her, if not an examination room, but what's the difference?

Moreover, how did she get in there?

She tried to recall whatever was left in her recent memories. She did remember talking to Terra at some cafe while waiting for her friend Yuna, whom she was supposed to introduce to the mage. Then, two strange men appeared at their table and suddenly, one of them grabbed her and covered her mouth.

And then, this.

She tried to move her hands, but her wrists were tied down to the surface. She let out a shaky sigh. _Great, I should've known._

She looked around again for any sign of her friend, Terra. It would be better if she was left uncaptured. At least someone was left to get help from what happened.

Unfortunately, she saw her green head lying on another metal table, right opposite from hers. She only hoped Terra was alright.

"Terra?" Rinoa tried calling, but her friend was not moving. "Terra." She tried again, with a louder voice, but she still received no bit of response. She was about to call her again, when she suddenly heard muffled voices approaching. She closed her eyes and pretended to be unconscious, just like how she was when her abductors last left her.

"I'm just tiiiired of always transferring from places to places." One high, husky voice complained. It sounded weird, considering that it sounded like it belonged to a man. "You better be quick at this, Hojo." _Hojo?_ If Rinoa could be conscious at that time, she would have her eyes widened with horror. She knew Hojo, it was that evil scientist Cloud and Squall let lose. "How long will the cloning take?"

"Copying process." Another one corrected. His voice was a bit husky too, though lower and bigger than the first one. "It's called copying process. And it will depend on the the other one's compatibility with the mage. Although I do believe there's this big chance that she'll do well." He chuckled. "We are at luck! Same age, same size... What could be a better subject? Don't you see, Kefka?" _Kefka?!_ Rinoa could feel her heart beating furiously against her chest. But she remained her eyes closed and unmoving. "We never had a chance like this, having the perfect subject to copy the mage's powers. This might just be our one last shot, to finally make this experiment a success! Let me have all the time that I need. Help me out here."

"Hmph, I couldn't count anymore how many times I heard that from you." Kefka scoffed. There was a pause, and Rinoa could feel his eyes on her and Terra, his experiment subjects. "The guinea pig and the slave." He said before he chuckled ominously. "Fantastic."

* * *

**A/N**: Who said Cloud and Squall will not work together? XD

And sorry about the "Let's mosey" part. I couldn't help it. lol


	21. Hojo's Playground

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note:** Brace yourselves!!! this is a looong chaper!!! okay, so this only has about 8k+ words... lol but it's the longest chapter yet! for any of my stories! LOL

Anyway, I do understand if some parts may come a bit dragging to some of you guys (since action scenes are not exactly my forte), but I wrote them all anyway because I believe they are all part of the story... and I made them to be... I have to write them whether I like it or not. lol

Sorry for not updating regularly... many things are holding me up... ^^"

Hope you enjoy this one!

* * *

The hall was an endless maze, as Cloud, Squall, and the whole group that came with them wandered around the incredibly huge place in search for any signs of the two kidnapped girls. Half an hour had passed since they arrived at the place, and the two leaders of the party grew more and more impatient and worried. The longer it took for them to find Rinoa and Terra, the more possible that something might happen to them; and they would forever regret it.

Cloud stopped on his tracks, and Squall looked at him cautiously. The blonde SOLDIER narrowed his eyes warily at the path before them.

"What is it?" Selphie asked after the whole group stopped, her hands tightening their grip on her weapon. Squall followed Cloud's gaze before turning his eyes back at him.

Irvine turned to Zack, whose eyes were just as focused as Cloud's.

The blond frowned. "There's something there. No, there are alot of them. I just know it. I can feel them."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Seifer stepped forward but Irvine halted him with his hand on the blond's shoulder. Seifer glared at him.

"We should be careful." Irvine wore a dead-serious expression on his face.

"We better stick together." Quistis walked past Squall and Cloud. She turned around to the group. "We can't stop here now. There's only one way to get to Rinoa and your friend." She looked at Squall, then to Cloud. "Everyone, stay close to each other. We all need each other's help, and we can't afford any mishap." She turned around and began walking. Everyone else behind her silently followed. And the farther they went, the darker it got.

"Light, aid us." Yuna gently chanted. And as if answering to her call, a medium-sized glowing white orb suddenly appeared between her palms. It left her hands and floated in front of the group, as it lead their trail. The group slowed down guardedly, using their only light source to survey their surroundings for any indication of danger.

Zell, the one standing farthest from the group, noticed a slight movement from a nearby wall on his left. He quickly turned to its direction, only to notice about five bumps potruding from it. Due to the lack of light, he couldn't make what exactly they were, though through their silhouttes, they seem like huge, thick bended bars. One of them flinched and made Zell jump backwards in surprise.

"Guys," Zell called. He turned to them who did not take notice of him, except for Yuna who gave him a scared look. She stopped, and everyone followed soon after. They were all looking at Zell, who was still staring at the bumps on the walls.

"Don't touch them." Squall sternly commanded.

After giving one last look at the strange bumps, Zell walked away from it and he went on his way with his friends.

The orb grew brighter as the place grew darker, and the more alarmed everyone became, especially after with what Zell noticed earlier. The tattooed blond curiously looked around him for any other strange signs that the rest of the party might have missed, since he still chose to be the one watching them from behind. The walls looked normal, though only for a while. Looking at his left, he saw another set of those thick bumps, though they were now supported by a longer and thicker bar, almost like an arm. Also, those bumps were now moving more aggressively and fluidly.

"What the..." He murmured. And despite the silence of the hall, his friends did not hear him.

Suddenly, the bumps opened, revealing its true form. And through the faint, white light the orb provided him, he was able to make out a silver, giant hand supported by its proportionally giant arm. The bumps he had been seeing before were actually its fingers crumpled in a fist.

"The hell?!" He shrieked, as the hand tried to grab him. But he was faster and stepped aside before the fingers could even touch him. The noise he made got everyone else's attention, but before they could even run to Zell, he was grabbed by the hand, so swiftly he was pulled into the darkness where he vanished before his friends could even call his name.

"Zell!" Selphie yelled.

Yuna waved her arm to the orb and gestured it to light the spot where they last saw Zell, but revealed nothing. Squall drew his gunblade out as the others followed by taking their own weapons out as well.

"Yuna, stay close to us." Cloud ordered at the summoner, who was surrounded by Zack, Seifer and Irvine. Then, Squall began to run at the direction where he assumed Zell was.

"Squall!" Quistis called out and followed him to the darkness.

Cloud cursed under his breath before following Quistis and Squall. They were then followed by the rest of the group, with Irvine and Zack protectively holding Yuna.

"Zell!" Squall shouted while scanning aimlessly in the darkness. Yuna's white orb followed him and he squinted at the sudden presence of light. He blinked to get a better sight of the place, though he only saw black void everywhere.

Suddenly, he heard a shriek from his left.

"Zell!"

At that moment, the giant hand finally appeared, with a struggling Zell inside it. He was practically squeezed between its fingers, and the more he struggled, the tighter it gripped.

"AAAH!!!" Zell cried in pain.

Squall jumped to the hand and swung his gunblade at it. It loosened its hold on Zell, though it still did not let him go. The brunette SeeD gave out a low and loud growl before striking the arm even more furiously until it finally dropped Zell to the hard ground.

"Zell!" This time, it was Quistis who called and fell on her knees beside the blond to examine the coughing Zell with the little light they had. Hissing, Zell slowly tried to sit up, but his body could not handle the pain it obtained from the grab.

"Hyne..." Quistis muttered panickly before she held out her hands and cast Cure on Zell.

Cloud did not waste any more moment and dashed forward to the giant hand that Squall was attacking endlessly. It was no feeble hand, and its defense was high. Cloud swung his giant sword and cut one of its fingers, which flew a few meters away from them. A roar of pain echoed from the deeper pits of the place in response to the attack. Everyone heard it, as horror struck them that there was something bigger out there which the hand belonged to. Suddenly, the mutilated finger flew back to its place, sticking itself to its spot on the hand, fuctioning as it should like nothing happened.

"Shit!" Squall cursed.

"Help Squall and Cloud!" Quistis shouted at the boys as she and Selphie protected Yuna and the still-weak Zell with their weapons. Yuna kneeled beside Zell and began healing him with Curaga.

Irvine aimed his long shotgun at the hand and began shooting, while Seifer and Zack dashed towards their enemy and started attacking, much like what Squall and Cloud were doing. More roars echoed around the place, as the four of them tortured the fiendish hand.

The tall sniper detected a glowing black pulse at the center of the hand's palm where the human pulse was usually located. It told him that it was the hand's weakest point, as it sourced the monster's massive power.

"The pulse!" He shouted at his comrades. "The pulse is the weakness!"

Cloud and Squall looked at the palm and saw the same pulsating black spot on it.

"I need a good aim!" Irvine yelled.

"Everyone," Squall landed on the ground. "make an opening for Irvine!"

"I'll freeze it!" Seifer roared and rolled on the ground. He stood up and summoned his Guardian Force Shiva, who blew her icy spell towards the hand. True enough, it froze the hand on spot, giving Irvine his opening.

He narrowed his eyes and aimed his shotgun after loading it with a more powerful ammo. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet went straight to the pulse, just a nanosecond before Shiva's blizzard becomes ineffective.

The ammo pierced though the pulse, as it exploded with thin, black smoke from the palm. Another roar was heard, though it was louder this time as the hand quickly vanished from the wall after its arm pulled it out to the darkness. The cry of pain continued when Squall and Cloud turned to the party.

"LET'S GO!" Cloud shouted.

"NOW!" Squall ran to Zell and hoisted him up with Zack's assistance, dragging him out of the place while they started running away with the others. Catching the pace of the rest of the party, they went on to their way along the hall where they had been wandering before the hand appeared.

"What the hell is it with this place?!" Zell asked.

"I don't know..." Zack replied anxiously.

"It's Hojo." Cloud said breathlessly while running with the others. "That was Hojo's experiment."

"Wha-" Squall was cut in by Quistis. "Let's talk about this when we get out of this place!" She cried out. "Hurry!"

Selphie suddenly shrieked. "OH HYNE!"

Before they could even recover from the previous battle, they seem to be facing a new one. Another monster, in a form of a huge, circular head with a hundred eyes and several tentacles underneath its massive form, suddenly appeared on their way.

"FUCKIN-" Seifer swung his sword in front of him and charged at the monster.

"SEIFER!" Quistis screamed after the blonde and quickly ran to his side.

Yuna, who was finally lightly guarded by Irvine, ran from his side to Quistis'.

"Hey!" Irvine and Selphie followed her.

"Let me go." Zell mumbled, as he tried to walk off from Squall and Zack.

"Zell, you're still wea-"

"I said LET ME GO!" Zell shoved himself off from the two and ran after the whole group. Soon, Squall, Zack and Cloud followed.

"Fuck, it's a Marlboro." Squall said between his teeth as he quickly examined the giant monster before dashing forward to attack as many eyes as his gunblade could allow.

The scene was a whole mess, as each of them took on the creature. The ones weilding swords attacked as much body parts they could, while Zell punched and kicked furiously at the monster. Selphie and Quistis swung their weapons to the monster, injuring it as they did. Yuna stood at a good distance from the battle, healing everyone who took in powerful blows from the Marlboro.

Suddenly, the abomination roared and began swaying side by side. Cloud's eyes widened at the dangerous stance it made, knowing that it meant an inevitable attack that would inflict everyone with various status ailments like confusion, darkness, or even worse, poison.

Squall cursed before turning to the group. "RUN!"

But everyone knew it would be unavoidable, for the attack would be in a gas form, and it would reach the farthest distances. Despite that, they still ran away as far as they could.

Then, as if answering their prayers, another giant monster suddenly appeared in front of the fiend, right beside Yuna. It was a huge, black figure with pointed wings and armored structure, with a circular emblem hovering on its back. Faster than the enemy's attack, it tackled the Marlboro down, halting it's infliction of deadly ailments on the party members.

"Bahamut?" Quistis muttered in awe as she watched Yuna's aeon struggled with the Marlboro.

Yuna's eyes were closed, her lips formed in a smile, glad that her calls were answered. Bahamut picked the Marlboro up with ease and threw it against a wall. Then, it turned to the summoner, as if waiting for her command or permission. Yuna muttered in reponse, and the aeon turned back to the enemy. It bent its body down to the ground, with its arms supporting it, as the circular object on his back began to swirl in circles. Bright sparks of light began to form, as the round emblem turned faster. More light started to gather on its back, and Bahamut aimed it to its enemy.

What Yuna muttered as a command that granted the enemy's instant defeat was "Mega Flare."

* * *

Rinoa did her best to act unconscious on the metal surface despite the awful discussion between Hojo and Kefka she had been listening to for the past half hour. With her eyes closed, she only had sounds as her aid to be conscious of what's going on. But mostly, all she heard was Hojo explaining in scientific terms that she bet even Kefka wouldn't understand. Surprisingly though, he did, and it only made their conversation alot deeper and more tedious to comprehend.

"The subject chromosomes don't match the Esper's." She heard Hojo say. "And that might be the problem, and I know you know why. Our past subjects died because of this miscalculation."

Kefka chuckled. "I don't know what you're planning on this one, and I don't think I want to know anymore. My head is starting to ache with all of your biology lectures."

"Oh," Hojo laughed. "It doesn't really take much of your brain to understand what I am about to do." There was a pause before the professor spoke again. "Have you heard of the calamity, Jenova?"

"Tch, of course I did." Kefka replied. "That was your project back at Shinra. But what does that have anything to do with this?"

"Jenova's cells adapt profusely to human cells when combined. Never did I have any problems with my experiments when Jenova's cells are involved. Unlike the Esper's DNA, which required a perfectly compatible body."

"You're point is?" Kefka was getting impatient.

"I will combine Jenova's cells and the Esper's before inserting their genes to the subject. Jenova's cells will always be greater, more dominant. They will influence the Esper's cells to adapt with the genes of the human subject. But this will require some calculation." He inhaled. "I will have to program the Esper's cells to completely merge with the human's cells, so the mutation of powers will be effective. Bt it shouldn't take long and too difficult." Hojo snickered. "I find this far better than merely cloning. Jenova's cells, combined with the Esper's, that will result to unimaginable intensity of power! The calamity and the mage..."

"I think I know now where you're getting at." Kefka replied, in a jovial tone.

"Oh, and just for the sake of updating you," Hojo went somewhere far from Rinoa's table. "I call this one, the Ultimecia project. And there is this small possibility that the subject might not be able to contain the genes. But according to my examination of her, there's a big chance that she can." He laughed again. "She is a perfect subject, I have a great feeling about this! Don't you?"

"Hmph," Kefka said. "I don't care, I just want the Esper's powers to be cloned. And take haste!" He demanded. "I can't wait to form my own army."

"Alright, then help me out. I'll be doing the calculations on the cells I extracted from the Esper. You go get Jenova's cells. Her head is located at the second floor of-"

"And since when can you order me around?"

Hojo sighed. "The more people working together, the faster it finishes. Besides, it's only a matter of time before their friends realize that they're gone, especially the mage." Rinoa heard typing clicks of keyboard, and assumed that Hojo was in front of a computer. His voice became a bit more distant. "I heard her friend is a SOLDIER. And that means bad news even if we have thousands of monsters her-"

"FIIIINE... Fine..." Kefka deafeatedly said. "What are you gonna do then?"

"I'll go get the mako chemicals I stole from Shinra. I will be needing those to stabilize the genes when I combine them." Hojo replied.

After hearing the sliding doors opened and finally closed, Rinoa opened her eyes.

She breathed unevenly and heavily, overwhelmed by what the scientist and his accomplice talked about. They will be making gruesome experiment out of her. Her heart was beaing furiously against her chest, so hardly that she could feel herself almost puking at the thought. She had to get out of the place, and fast.

She looked around once again to search for any means of escaping. It was only then she realized that she was in a small room surrounded by transparent glasses. There were two sliding doors, on opposite sides of the room, and judging from the sounds she heard a while ago, the two went out on the right side. Of course, there were also alot of boiling, glowing liquids in flasks, and computer monitors with glowing green texts on them.

Then, there was Terra, who was still lying unconscious. Though her table was moved somewhere nearer to Rinoa.

"Terra!" She called, almost ten times louder than she did before. "Terra, wake up! Wake up!"

The emerald-haired finally fluttered her eyes open. She blinked a few times before her eyes widened in shock. She breathed heavily again as her head panickly looked around the place.

"We-we're kidnapped!" She cried.

"Terra-"

"Oh, this is all my fault." She cried.

"Terra-" Rinoa said again.

"I should not have been stubborn. I shoul-"

"Terra!" Rinoa called, in a commanding, yet calm voice. "Listen to me. We should be able to escape, okay? There's always a way out of things." Rinoa looked at Terra in the eyes intently waiting for her response. "So calm down okay? We can do this. We have to..."

Terra nodded, though still agitatedly. "Okay... okay. We'll escape."

"You've been kidnapped several times before, right?" Terra nodded. "How did you escape?"

The mage turned to her hands. "I usually used magic spells to escape from these but..." She thrusted her hand downward, extending her arms, as if she was exectuting something. "I can't... I can't right now."

"Why?" Rinoa was beginning to panic as well.

"Must be... must be the anti-magic field." Terra turned worriedly at Rinoa.

With their only chance to excape gone, the raven-haired was on the brink of tears. But she shook her head hardly. "No. There must be another way. There gotta be!"

But both of them knew nothing else was left for them to hope for.

* * *

"Everyone alright?" Yuna anxiously asked as she looked around her comrades who shielded themselves from the blast of Bahamut's powerful attack. Though nobody was hurt, the impact was so great, they were thrown backwards, a few meters away form their original spot. Of course, except for Yuna, who was completely immune of her aeons' attacks.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Irvine yelled before running towards her with the rest of the party, but not before assisting the tumbled Selphie back to her feet.

Yuna smiled and turned to Bahamut, who was still standing strong beside the spot where it defeated the Marlboro. The enemy was lying dead on the ground, toasted to the maximum level.

"Thank you." Yuna bowed at her aeon, indicating it's dismissal from the battle. With great strength, Bahamut flapped its wings and vanished into thin air.

"How did you-why did you-what was THAT?!" Zell stammered as he paused halfway towards Yuna.

"She's a summoner you idiot." Seifer cockily replied.

"I know that." Zell twitched his eye annoyingly at the taller blond. "Being a summoner is one thing. But having Bahamut?"

Yuna giggled. "It is a hard task to go on a journey to find Bahamut, but it's all worth it. And Bahamut is a friendly aeon, just like most of them, so it did not take much effort to convince him to join me."

"Hmm..." Zell rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't think that's the case with us though." He began walking with the others. "From what I've heard, the Bahamut I know has this ruby dragon guardian. And if you were able to defeat its guardian, then you'll have to fight him again and stuff."

"That only goes with us normal people." Squall replied as he calmy walked.

"Yuna's case is different." Cloud added before Yuna could protest about Squall's comment regarding her being not normal. "She's a summoner. These spirits respond to her more favorably compared to us who never really connected with them."

"Uh huh, so I have to become this... temple priest to get Bahamut." Zack concluded with a bit of derision in his voice, jealous with the fact that Yuna, the one he had been protecting, was possibly the most powerful of the group.

"That sounds about right." Irvine said suavily.

"But we summoners are not as skillful as you may all think we are." Yuna humbly said. "We are nothing without the aeons. We only borrow their powers in battles."

"Yes. That and-" Quistis was suddenly interrupted by a loan moan that bounced against the walls of the hall. It was a low cry of an approaching danger. Everyone froze on their spot, afraid that one step might trigger anything.

"and that doesn't sound right." Seifer finished.

"What is it now?" Selphie complainingly asked no one in particular.

Squall and Cloud cautiously grabbed their swords as they glanced around the whole place for anything that might appear and attack them. Another cry came out which slowly transformed into a growl. It was louder, a sign that it was getting nearer.

"Everyone, forward!" Squall and began running.

"What are you doing?! Are you trying to get us all killed?!" Cloud protested after running to Squall and grabbing his shoulder.

"There's no other way anyway, we will still end up fighting it!"

Suddenly, the ground began shaking, and everyone found themselves stumbling on the floor, almost falling down. The floor then broke into two horizontally as silver light seeped through the cracks. Emerging from it was a wide, tall, wide skeletal figure with glowing, yellow eyes. It roared,similarly to how it did prior to its appearance, and began swaying its ridiculously long arms to the party.

"It's an undead!" Quistis yelled, dodging its arm, striking her weapon on its arm. But the whip in her hand rolled around the arm that wagged violently upward.

"QUISTIS!" Seifer dashed to the dangling SeeD, striking the arm with his gunblade. But the pain the attack gave only made it move more viciously, throwing both Seifer and Quistis to a nearby wall. Fortunately the male blond was quicker as he covered Quistis with his body and let the wall hit him instead. Still protectively clinging on her, both of them slid down to the cold, shaking ground.

"No! Yuna, save it for white magic!" The assaulting Selphie yelled at Yuna who was about to cast Curaga at the blond couple. "Better yet, SUMMON YOUR AEONS!"

The summoner looked at her before nodding. "Everyone! GET AWAY FROM THE MONSTER! NOW!" Yuna cried out before performing a stance and stretched her arm up. Suddenly, a chime-like sound of a stringed instrument was heard from the darkness, signaling an arrival of another entity.

Cloud recognized the sound and stopped from hitting the giant monster. "RUN!"

Squall's ear finally picked the sound up and gestured his freinds to follow him as they ran away from the monster as well.

"Help me with Seifer!" Quistis bellowed at her companions while heaving Seifer up. Zack immediately ran to her side and dragged the almost unconscious Seifer out of the spot.

Then, a small lion-like animal appeared by Yuna's side, snuggling its head on the summoner's legs. The brunette patted it gently before a tall figure covered in colorful clothes with a big, circular hat suddenly emerged from the darkness. Yuna turned to it, with a hopeful look.

"We don't have much," She said. "but we trust your aid." She bowed.

The unknown aeon gripped its sheathed blade, ready to attack while waiting for Yuna's command. She then drew out her wallet and handed a few gil to the entity.

"What..." Squall's eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched Yuna and the aeon.

"What is she doing?" Cloud was just as confused as Squall.

"She is... paying the aeon?" Zell's brow raised.

"That's gotta be Yojimbo, then." Quistis said while curing Seifer on her lap. "You have to pay him for his services. The more gil you give him, the better his attack is."

Zack's eye quivered. "What will he do with the gil if he's already dead?"

Quistis shrugged before turning back to Seifer. "I don't know. Each aeon has its way of doing things."

"Look," Irvine pointed at the battlefield. "it's about to do something."

Yojimbo quickly drew out its sword and swung it swiftly to the monster. The giant skeleton cried in great pain. Despite the powerful attack, Yuna sighed in defeat. Its attack was not enough. She turned to the party.

"Guys, can I borrow some cash please?" Yuna pleaded.

Squall and Cloud began to feel their pockets and handed out two thousand gil each. "Use it all." Cloud said.

The monster roared and swung its hand to Yojimbo, but the aeon was much too fast to avoid its attack. Impatiently, it stroke the enemy with its sword again before turning to Yuna to wait for another order.

"Here's four thousand gil." Yuna handed him the money. But the monster cheated. While the spiritual warrior was taking the money, the skeleton threw a spit-like attack at Yojimbo, so powerfully the aeon flew backwards. The animal that went with it barked angrily at the fiend and charged at it.

Yuna gasped. "Oh no..."

Squall cursed at the fallen aeon before charging at the enemy again, aiding the aeon's pet, with Cloud and Zack at his sides. They knew they might not stand a chance against the enemy, but they had to try.

Squall thought about Rinoa, in every assult that he made, in every attempt to bring the enemy down. He summoned one of his three Guardian Forces Quezacotl, which performed a powerful thunder spell; but it did a little damage against the monster.

Cloud, remembering Quistis' words about the fiend, threw a Cura spell on the enemy. But this was not enough to knock it down, and he still had to use one of his powerful sword techniques against it.

Irvine, the most keen when it came to detecting weak points of enemies, loaded his shotgun with two powerful ammos blessed with holy magic and aimed at the two glowing eyes of the monster. But with the swift senses of the skeleton, it easily dodged the shots before throwing the small animal away, which vanished, much like its master.

"Damn it," Squall hissed under his breath.

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, and a huge amount of light got into the dark halls. Everyone squinted at the sudden exposure of light, and the monster roared with the interruption. At one side of the hall appeared a large hole on the wall, where came a huge thing, blocking some of the light from entering the building. Everyone paused from the battle as they tried to make out the huge object that abruptly barged in.

And it came to them as quite a surprise.

It was a round robot with two legs, which was just as big as the monster. Judging from its materials, it was obvious that it was a heavy-duty robot, with high defense. Loud gunshots came from the robot attacking the enemy, as everyone rolled on the ground to avoid being shot at with the machinery's aimless rounds.

Squall, who was kneeling on the ground from rolling over, glanced up to their savior and narrowed his eyes. The robot was a machina, a product of the Al Bhed, a race known to excel in armories and technical weapons. They were just as good (if not better) from the Estharians who also exceled in technology.

The topmost part of the robot suddenly opened and revealed two blond heads he clearly recognized; Tidus and Rikku.

"Wha-"

"HEY GUYS!" Rikku waved at them. "How come we're not invited in the partay?"

"Hey!" Selphie angrily pointed her nunchaku at the blonde Al Bhed. "That's my line!"

"YUNA!" Tidus jumped off the robot and ran to Yuna, who was just as shocked as everyone else at the arrival of the two. Tidus tightly embraced Yuna, who hugged him back.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She said.

"It's alright." Tidus reassuringly said. He pulled back and examined Yuna. "Are you hurt?"

Yuna shook her head. "I'm fine."

Tidus smiled at her before pulling her back into his arms.

As he watched them, Squall had a pang of jealously over the couple. He wasn't jealous because of Yuna or anything, but he wished he would be reunited with Rinoa soon and make sure she was safe, just as what Tidus was doing to Yuna. The thought crushed his heart as he painfully closed his eyes and focused back on the monster.

"Tifa?!" Obvius surprise was written all over Cloud's face when Tifa jumped out of the robot, followed by Yuffie.

"You don't think we're just gonna sit back and do nothing about Rinoa, right?" She smirked at Cloud. "And remember, Terra's my friend too!" She said before charging at the fiend and giving it a good kick.

"Whoah!" Zell was impressed with her moves. "Nice!"

Tifa winked at him.

"Tifa!" Cloud cried as another hand was about to grab her. He was running, preparing for a strike, when suddenly, another sword came to attack the arm. It was no Squall or Seifer's gunblade, nor Zack's sword. It was...

"Paine!" Irvine happily greeted.

The silver haired girl turned to him. "I don't remember hearing a mission about this."

"Huh?" Selphie suspiciously turned to her boyfriend. Irvine scratched his head.

"Well, Paine here... is from Galbadia Garden."

"Another candidate?" The recovering Seifer asked.

"Not really." Irvine shook his head. "A SeeD actually."

"Should've known." Squall muttered before dashing towards the enemy.

"Guys!" Yuffie began throwing out potions to the fallen comrades. "Heal yourselves!" She was about to hand Selphie a potion but paused, after realizing that it was her supposed enemy from the other section. They both awkwardly looked at each other.

"Hey." Selphie greeted.

"Hey." Yuffie replied uneasily. "Here. You might need this." She handed a bottle of potion to the brunette.

"Thanks." Selphie took the potion before looking at the ninja again.

Then, after another moment passed, as if they had a mutual understanding, they hugged each other and began crying.

"I'm sorry I blew up your materia collection!" Selphie sobbed.

"I'm sorry I stole your old pair of lucky yellow jumper!" Yuffie sniffed. "And never admitted it!"

"I just want to tell you, you're one of my best ex-best friends!" Selphie added.

"Same here with you!" Yuffie replied.

Rikku sighed contentedly while watching her two perky friends making up. "Finally!" She then ran to them and joined the group hug.

Quistis, along with Zell and Tifa, kept attacking the giant skeleton.

"It's weakening!" The female blonde said.

"Yeah!" Tifa replied. "Throw me to the head, the eyes are its weakness!"

Quistis nodded and gently rolled her whip to Tifa's leg. Then, she threw martial artist to the head.

"We'll hold the hands down!" Zack shouted.

"Attack the hands!" Cloud yelled at the swordsmen. Paine, Zack and Seifer took care of the left, while he, Tidus (and his water-blue sword) and Squall took on the right.

Irvine aimed once again at the eyes, taking advantage of Tifa's attack that somehow helped in steadying the head. Within a split second, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet went straight to the eye.

The monster roared and cried, shaking its head vigorously. Tifa jumped from the head and gently landed on the ground.

"I need a steady head!" Irvine yelled. "There's only one eye left!"

"Throw me, Quistis!" Zell said.

Without wasting anymore second, the blonde rolled her whip on Zell's leg and threw him to the monster's head, similarly to what she did to Tifa.

Irvine loaded his gun with another holy bullet and aimed at the other eye. Zell was doing good in stabling the head by balancing with his powerful kicks, giving the sniper a good aim of his target.

He smirked before pulling the trigger.

* * *

The siren began crying, the alarm gave out a defeaning honking sound with the universal meaning of danger around the area. Hojo stood up from his computer chair and ran to the screen that showed a radar of the place that detected any intruders, which he never noticed until the alarm came.

There was only one reason why the alarm would sound; his experiment, the abomidable Gargantua which he created exactly for the reason to guard the whole building, was taken down. And he blamed it to the several red dots moving around his radar, which obviously did enough unwanted damage in the place. He cursed under his breath.

Rinoa and Terra glanced around the room panickly before they realized that ice came out of Terra's hands.

"Terra!" Rinoa called as she looked at Terra, then to her metal-binded hands.

The mage gasped before effortlessly breaking her hands free from her frozen binds. She casted the same blizzard spell to her feet and freed herself. She then did the same to Rinoa and before they knew it, they were moving freely out of the table.

"Over here!" Rinoa pulled the other captive out of the sliding door and ran to the dark hallway. They didn't know how Terra was able to cast magic when she couldn't before, nor why the alarm just went on. But they did know had to take their chances to escape as quickly as they could.

Hojo was too late when he went to his hostages' room, only to find it empty. He cursed again, knowing that the alarm automatically de-activated the anti-magic field in the room for safety measures. Kefka would kill him if he knew about this. Then again, he didn't need the mage anymore, he got everything he needed from her. He just needed the other girl.

Grinning, he went back to his computer desk and pushed a large, blue button. "Come out, my babies. This is your moment." He glanced at the radar and raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Think you can escape me?"

* * *

With the monster finally killed, and the coast finally cleared, the exhausted and wounded Squall did not waste any more minute as he began walking forward. Cloud, who was just as tired as he was, did the same while dragging his huge sword.

"Hey!" Zack and Zell yelled at the two, trying to stop them from going any further. But the two ex-rivals did not listen.

"Wait! Wait for us!" Yuna called and ran after the two while casting Curaga at them. Of course, Tidus followed her and soon after, the whole group was walking again along the halls.

"Guys! You can ride on my machina here!" Rikku called while sitting in between Yuffie and Selphie on her giant robot.

"You can join them, Babe." The recovered Seifer said to Quistis, who was walking right beside him. He was referring to the three most hyper members of their group. She turned to him and smiled. "I think I like walking like this better." She turned away. "And don't call me Babe."

"Sure Babe." Seifer grinned.

They were walking in silence (except for Selphie, Yuffie and Rikku who were endlessly blabbering about random things) and made a good progress in getting as far as they could reach of the long hall.

Suddenly, Paine, Zack, Cloud and Squall stopped. Like an infection, the whole party stopped as well.

"What is it?" Yuna anxiously inquired.

"Something's coming." Paine tightly grabbed her sword.

"There are more of them." Zack held his sword in front of him warily.

"More?" Tidus and Zell asked in unison as they turned to look at the deeper side of the hall. Growls and roars from hundreds of monsters could be heard from it.

Squall drew his gunblade out. "Hojo?" He asked the blond beside him.

"Definitely." Cloud replied.

* * *

Rinoa pulled a slower Terra as they ran along a narrow hall lit with flashing red lights. She didn't know where they were heading, she just needed to escape.

Suddenly, an fat, armored reptile in two legs appeared, skidding the raven-haired hostage to a stop. Rinoa gasped when Terra stepped in front of her. The mage waved her hand upward, and water sprang out from the ground, hitting the monster.

Rinoa's eyes widened as she stared at Terra while she casted more magic spells on the attacker. She never imagined that Terra could be THAT powerful, taking a monster down with just a wave of her hand. And it even suffered from her spells, taking serious damage from her assaults as it cried painfully and loudly. When it was finally knocked down, the emerald-haired girl turned to a startled Rinoa and took her hand.

"Come!" She said.

They began running again, avoiding monsters here and there as much as they could. And if they were unavoidable, Terra would step forward and take them had been running for twenty minutes, yet the alarm still wouldn't stop, but they didn't halt their feet from dragging them away.

Until they faced a forked road.

Two halls separated by a wall greeted the two girls, giving them two possibilities for an exit. Terra panickly turned to Rinoa, with a questioning look, asking what they should do. Rinoa wore a determined expression, as she evaluated the only options they had. But she shouldn't take too long, or else their captors would catch up with them.

Inhaling deeply, she turned to Terra. "We're moving on separately."

The mage's eyes widened. "What- NO!"

"We have to Terra." Rinoa anxiously replied. He placed her hands on Terra's shoulders as she glanced once again at the halls, rethinking her decision.

"You-you can't go alone!" Terra held the raven-haired's arms. "You don't have anything to fight against the monsters! I can't let anything happen to you!"

Rinoa shook her head and gave Terra a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine Terra, don't worry about me. But please do listen to what I'll say." Without waiting for the mage's response, she continued. "Whoever reaches the exit first will ask for help, okay?"

Terra assessed Rinoa's words in her mind as quickly as she could. She looked at her friend. They didn't have any other choice, and Rinoa's solution was the best one they could do. Though, without her help, Rinoa might get hurt, having nothing to defend herself from the monsters. But she had to trust Rinoa, or else, nothing would happen to them and Hojo and Kefka would catch them again, and they might do worse than just chasing them. The laboratory where they woke up in did not seem a very harmless place.

She didn't want to be stuck in that place forever, and she didn't like the same thing for Rinoa.

Finally, she nodded. "Okay, Rinoa. Whoever gets out first will ask for help."

Rinoa nodded and smiled. "Okay." She pulled away from Terra. "I'll take the right one." And with that, she ran to the hall at the right side. Terra did the same with the left one.

* * *

"Damn!" Squall cussed as his last Guardian Force Pandemona was knocked down by yet another Marlboro after it released its final attack.

"Boost me!" Cloud yelled at his partner and the brunette obliged. The blond jumped on Squall's gunblade which pushed him up towards the tentacled fiend. He twirled his sword over his head, glowing in blue power in the process, before striking his large silver blade on the Marlboro's head, ultimately killing it.

"More are coming!" Paine agitatedly clamoured as she slashed an armed, shadow figure thrice with her sword. It was the fifth monster she slayed, adn she was about to target another one.

"This is never going to stop!" Tifa said, as she kicked a large, green worm that attempted to literally bite her head off. The other martial artist, Zell, roundhouse kicked a giant, poisonous spider right behind Tifa.

Tidus swiftly dodged another attack from a canine-like fiend, while Yuna ordered her aeon Bahamut to use its impulse attack to take three beasts down.

"Guys, just hop on here!" Rikku shouted from her robot, which was being controlled by Selphie as she gunned down many other monsters. Though despite aiding the whole party with a powerful robot, the monsters kept on flodding forward. As Yuffie joined the fight, Rikku threw her third bomb to the mass of enemies.

Seifer took the chance and carried a wounded Quistis in his arms before jumping into the robot. Inside, it was a bit small, but enough to contain about five people and provide them with the remedies and potions kept inside small glass cabinets. Carefully, he placed Quistis on the floor, removed his long, gray jacket and placed it under the girl's head.

"I'm fine." The blonde SeeD assured Seifer weakly. "I'm good, I can fight."

Seifer didn't reply and grabbed a hi-potion from his pocket. "Drink this." He told her.

"Seifer, save it for the others. I told you I'm fi-"

"Drink it." Seifer repeated, motioning the item into her mouth. "Hyne, please Quistis, just do what you were told."

Quistis looked at him for a while as he looked intently at her with his worried green eyes. Finally, she lifted her hands and placed her fingers around Seifer's hand, which was holding the bottle. She then pulled it to closer to her mouth and drank.

Outside the robot, Zack whirled around with his sword extended out, slicing as much mosters with it as he could. Irvine, on the other hand, targeted the winged enemies hovering above them.

"Dudes!" The brunette called to their two leaders at the battlefront. "You should go get Rinoa and your other friend now!"

"Yeah!" Zack added,as he swayed his sword once more to another enemy. "We can do this! We'll stop the enemies from here!"

"Squall!" Irvine called again as he shot another giant red mosquito. "I know your Pandemona's out!" He ran through the chaos to his brunette friend, who just took down a plant-like creature with long arms, though with much more difficulty, especially without any Guardian Force junctioned with him. Irvine, after shooting another random flying creature, placed his hand on Squall's shoulder. "You can take the Brothers from me!" He shouted against the noise of rattling guns from Rikku's robot, which was being controlled by his girlfriend.

Squall shook his head. "No! I can't take them from you! You need them too!"

Irvine chuckled. "Dude, nothing to worry about!" He turned and faced Squall. "I got them!" He was referring to their other comrades who were tirelessly fighting the monsters with them.

But still, Squall didn't accept. "I can't Irvine! You need the Brothers as much as I do!"

"I'll help you!" Yuna suddenly said after commanding Bahamut to attack a monster. She ran to Irvine and Squall's side. "I'll get you an aeon you can junction yourself with!"

"An aeon?!" Irvine questioned disbelievingly.

Squall turned his head away and shut his eyes. As far a he knew, aeons were too powerful for the likes of him to junction, and they only worked with summoners like Yuna. But her offer was not something he could reject. It was his only option, possible or not. He opened his blue orbs and turned to Yuna. "How?"

"There are many restless spirits of monsters out here!" Yuna said. "And they are willing to help! They just don't know how! They need my help!" She stepped back and extended her arms. She pulled them back in front of her chest and formed a small ball with her hands. "I'm going to call them..." Despite the noise in the place, Squall was amazingly able to hear her voice, and he squinted at her. She was truly a mysterious one. She closed her eyes, keeping her prayer position, and mumbled some words Squall couldn't understand.

"Squall!" Cloud called from his back, running to the shorter brunette. "Zack and Irvine are right, we should go search for Terra and Rinoa now." He said in a loud tone.

"Yeah, I agree." Squall replied. "But I need Yuna to do something for me first. She's going to give me an aeon to junction with."

After a few moments of praying, (with Squall, Cloud and Irvine as her protectors from the monsters while she meditated), Yuna finally opened her multicolored eyes and looked at Squall. The brunette SeeD turned to her.

"Done?" He asked, while kicking a smaller monster away from him.

Yuna nodded. "It's a restless spirit." She said. "It would take a great deal of urgency and desperation to be able to summon it. I don't think I can even summon it." She shook her head. "But it will lend you great powers, even without calling it. It's with you now, it answered my request to join its powers with you, to aid you with your mission."

"Then that's enough for me." Squall nodded gratefully. "Thank you." He turned around and nodded at Cloud.

"Ready?" The blonde asked.

"Ready." Squall replied.

"Goodluck fellas!" Irvine saluted at them.

"Oh, and Squall!" Yuna called out again. "I forgot to tell you how to call it. Its name is..."

* * *

Terra kept on running, never letting her feet fail her from her escape, especially that her abductor was right on her tracks. Kefka, who instantly sensed the escape of his captive, immediately ran after the mage, correctly predicting where she could be. Terra felt his massive powers around the place while running away from him, and didn't dare to stop and face him. She was no match for him.

Behind her, she could hear his jeering laugh. "Don't you think you're being a bit foolish?" He said in a mockingly curious voice. "You've escaped me thrice before already, I've learned enough from you, you imbecile!"

Terra did not listen. She tried not to. She couldn't let her fears eat her up to be caught again. Partly she was happy Kefka was not after Rinoa, or else she couldn't imagine what might have happened to her friend. But then part of her was scared, for she knew what Kefka was capable of doing. His strength, his powers, they were results of selfishly injecting himself with her genes everytime he kidnapped her before proceeding with his cloning projects. And that only made him three times as stronger as she was.

Breathing unevenly, Terra could feel her body weakening, as she ran aimlessly away from Kefka's laugh.

"Oh... I can feel you now, my favorite..." He taunted. "You want to sleep, don't you? Well, by all means, do! You will only make it easier for both of us!"

Despite Kefka's attempt of enticing her to sleep, Terra kept on running, just as fast as she could. She had to find some way to get out of the place, to find some help, especially for Rinoa.

Tears of distress suddenly started to roll down her cheeks as Kefka's laughter slowly became louder and louder every minute.

_I can't get myself caught._ She told herself, as she pushed further. _I can't let him become stronger._

"GOTCHA!"


	22. Experiment

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series.

**Author's Note: **Hi! How's everyone? Yes! I haven't updated for a looooooooong time... Yes, it was hell for me. Me not updating was just not... me. Writing stories (especially fanfictions) has been a part of my life ever since I started doing it. I mean, I couldn't imagine myself suddenly stop writing stories. Seriously. If I don't write stories, I'd go crazy.

Anyway, I'm really, really (thousands times) sorry for not updating for like, almost a month. Many things came up; requirements, work... Yes, I'm working, as a writer, and I write at least two articles a week... 'twas not really easy. These things held me up, and they kind of made me depressed because they halted me from doing anything like writing this story... or any of my stories for that matter. And... I was also playing something... which gave me more ideas to come up with for my next fanfictions... it involves a pink-haired girl who wields a gunblade... XD

Oh, and I thank you for Cerulean Crystal and Niqsta for sending me pms to check me out... I'm okay, and I hope you guys are too. I'm really sorry, again, for not being able to update. Really, shame on me.

Hope you enjoy this one. I made this one long (I kind of combined two chapters in one) to make it up for the weeks that I haven't updated... Hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^"

* * *

Squall forgot to make the phone call.

The President of Esthar was overlooking the vast body of water from the large Estharian airship the crazy scientist named Odine provided him. Operating the whole thing were soldiers from the Estharian army, flying their way to Ragnarok's location at Tear's Point. Good thing his son's airship had a built-in locator in it, which made it easier for them to track it. Without it, they were left to guess where Squall wanted the army for back-up, especially without the phonecall he promised. Laguna only shook his head at his son's clumsiness and chuckled.

"What's with that laugh?" A man with broad figure and muscular body who was standing beside him asked, as they both carried on looking over the passing ocean.

"Nah. Just remembered how Squall forced me into this in the first place, and then forgot to make the important phonecall."

The other man smirked. "Maybe he hangs around with my boy too much."

Laguna laughed heartily. "Tidus is a good boy. And I wish Squall hangs out with Tidus as much. He has to get himself off his grumpiness."

"Heh." The bulkier one stepped closer to the windows. "Grumpy ones are usually the smarter ones."

"Well, I'm not grumpy." Laguna replied.

"Neither are you smart." The other one retorted.

"Ouch." The President shyly scratched the back of his neck.

"But hey, at least my boy asked help from the Al Bhed instead of going there alone. He wouldn't make it back alive from Tear's Point." The bulkier one said. "At least he was thinking before he leapt to save his girlfriend. But..." He paused, turned around to face Laguna and shook his head. "now he gave me problems. I have to take him back before his mom kills me."

Laguna laughed loudly. "You? Jecht of the Zanarkand Abes? Dead scared of your wife?" He laughed again. "It's hard to believe, but I gotta love that part."

"Yeah, yeah." Jecht waved his hand dismissively, slightly annoyed with the other man's teasing. He turned back to the window and stared at the distance, as if anticipating the appearance of the monument from Tear's Point.

Laguna looked at him sympathetically. Despite the tough facade the blitzball star was trying to show, he knew he was worried sick for his son. He placed his hand assuringly on Jecht's shoulder and smiled when the taller one turned to look at him. "I know. I'm worried too. Squall's out there, and even though he's a SeeD, I still hope nothing bad happens to him. But don't worry." Laguna said. "Tidus and Squall will be fine. You'll see. After all, they've been watching each other's back since they were kids."

Jecht ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. Guess you're right. They'll look out for each other. At least until I reach that place."

Laguna nodded. "Yep. Me too. We got their backs this time."

Jecht thought for a moment before finally nodding and turned back to look out of the window. "What about the General."

"Eh..." Laguna scratched his head. "Well, he already knows. He's on the move."

The player chuckled. "You are dead when Squall knows about this."

"I feel bad for the man." Laguna replied defensively. "I mean, he's a father too. When the same thing happens to my kid, I want someone to tell me, too."

"Ah..." Jecht folded his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah, what the hell. What does Squall know about being a father. Besides, it's his girlfriend's father he's dealing with. Let him face whatever upshots there is for being a boyfriend. Let him take responsibilities."

Laguna frowned at Jecht. "That's being too harsh!" Jecht looked at him curiously before Laguna's face softened. Then, he turned away. "But you're right. It's all part of growing up. He'll have to face this, eventually."

* * *

The hallway was getting darker as Squall and Cloud ran further. And as they pushed through, Squall recalled what Yuna told him before they separated from the group.

"_... if you finally summon this aeon, she will aid you in your battles for the rest of your life. And you, will officially become her summoner."_

_Officially become her summoner?_ Then that would make him a summoner, if he becomes succesful in summoning her. Whoever she is.

_Her. A female aeon?_

Squall shook his head out of his thoughts. He couldn't expect himself to possess the great power of summoning if he didn't even know how to summon the aeon in the first place.

"_...__It would take a great deal of urgency and desperation to be able to summon it."_

He was clueless, he didn't know what she meant. She said that the aeon she lent him would grant him great powers that would aid him in battles. That would be easy, since he already junctioned the aeon, he should be able to perform certain abilities and cast magic. But summoning it was also something he often needed to do during battles, and if there are conditions to summon this one, then that might be a problem.

She said it would take a great deal of urgency. He _was_ in a great deal of urgency. Just thinking about Rinoa in trouble already gave him worry and cruciality. Yet where was the aeon?

Rinoa. He hoped she was alright. He hoped he won't be too late to save her from whatever Hojo was planning. The man was capable of doing many perilous things, considering all the experiments he had done to hundreds of people during the war in Esthar-

No. He didn't want to think of it that way. He couldn't handle the thought of RInoa becoming one of his present experiments. He wanted to think that she already escaped. But what if she did? She still wasn't out of harm's way, knowing that the whole place was notoriously infested with monsters that could rip her head off with ease. And what did she have to fight with? She had nothing but her hand to cover herself and legs to drive her off from a battle.

He felt Cloud slowing down, until the both of them stopped on their tracks. Cloud turned to him with a worried look on his face.

"Squall, you okay?" He asked.

The brunette faced him and nodded silently.

The blond looked at him one more time with concern before looking around. It seemed that they have reached a forked road.

"I don't know which way from here." Cloud said nonchalantly, with a hint of worry in his tone.

"We have to decide quickly. Time is running." Squall replied.

"My gut instincts says left. We should go left."

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Let's split. I'll take right, you take left."

Cloud shook his head. "No, we can't afford to separate!"

"But we'll never get to them if we both take the wrong one!"

"And we will never reach them alive if fight these monsters alone! Just trust my instincts and let's take lef-"

Suddenly, before Cloud could finish his sentence, a spark of lightning suddenly boomed from the left side. A girl's gasp was heard followed by a menacing laugh. The sparks were then replaced by splashes of water, accompanied by a shriek from the girl.

Cloud's eyes widened. "TERRA!"

* * *

"GOTCHA!"

Terra shrieked as two cold hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders. She was turned around forcefully and faced her horrored kidnapper; a tall, middle-aged man with pale-white skin and horrednously colorful sreaks of make-up on his face. His long hair was tightly tied up his head, decorated with bouncy accessories, matched with his red, puffy clothes. He looked just like a clown, a menacing one that could be suspected as a serial killer. She knew him too well, ever since she was a child.

She gasped. She didn't dare utter his name.

"Missed me?" The villain asked sarcastically.

Terra casted fire on her arm and shoved the clown's arm off her. With Kefka distracted and screaming furiously from the burn she caused, Terra took her chance and ran away from him as fast as she could.

"You're not getting away with this!" Kefka yelled angrily.

Terra closed her eyes tightly and murmured a wind spell directly to her feet. And in an instant, she was floating, with the wind dragging her faster than she could with running. She wasn't planning on doing it at first, as she wished to reserve every bit of her strength before she could reach for help. But then, she won't be able to reach for help unless she casted a spell on herself to make her escape quicker.

He chuckled a sinister laugh behind her, for her pathetic attempt to outrun his speed that was thrice as fast as she was. She heard it and she knew of this. Then she panicked. She waved her hand as she turned around, then shards of ice appeared and shot towards the clown. But Kefka easily deflected it with his red, shield spell. He then countered her attack with a water spell, but before it left his arm, Terra was able to correctly guess the next magic spell he had to cast and commanded thunder to strike him. But Kefka was too fast and waved the water spell to Terra. The Esper shrieked from the unexpected haste of the enemy and stupidly casted water to deflect the spell.

But his spell was much stronger than hers, and she stumbled backwards from the force.

"Get it now, my pretty?" Kefka said as he floated closer to Terra. "You can run from me. You can't even fight me. I'm much, much stronger than you are now. A god of magic. You're coming with me to finally fulfill my dream. A dream that I know you will share with me someday. An army of Espers to take over the world and elminate the disgusting human race."

Terra shook her head. "No. I-I can't let you! Everyone... Everyone's future..."

Kefka frowned dangerously. "You dare deny me?!" He swung his arm to his other side, about to strike the poor mage. Terra closed her eyes and covered her head helplessly with her arms as she readied herself to the assault. Suddenly, the expected attack didn't come and everything seemed to have paused.

She wasn't hurt. Nothing happened. Terra wondered if Kefka casted an instant death spell on her and if she was in some limbo where souls gathered. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw black clothes on a tall figure standing in front of her.

_Black clothes?_

She blinked and fully opened her green orbs, then looked up. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that the black clothes belonged to a familiar guy with spiky blond hair.

"Cloud!"

He was holding his sword firmly in front of him, blocking Kefka's arms that was supposed to give Terra her painful blow. He was struggling with Kefka, who then pushed himself from the sword and jumped backwards. Cloud swayed the sword upward and positioned it with his hands on a fighting stance. He glanced over his shoulder to Terra, who was sitting on the ground, startled.

"Terra." Cloud's sky-blue eyes looked sicerely at her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine." Terra pushed herself up and stood.

Suddenly, Cloud's brunette company ran to the Esper's side. As he stopped, he turned to her. Terra looked at him warily.

"Rinoa!" He said breathlessly, looking hopefully at Terra. "Isn't she with you? Where is she?!"

"Calm down, Squall." Cloud said cooly, his eyes still on the raging Kefka. "You're frightening her."

"Are you... Rinoa's boyfriend?" Terra asked.

Squall turned to her, his expression shocked. Agitatedly, he grabbed Terra's shoulders and looked at her directly in his eyes. "Do you know where she is? Please, tell me where I can find her!"

Terra nodded. "We parted when we came upon the forked road not too far from here." She said. "I came from that hall." She pointed north, the path that lead back to where she and Rinoa separated. Squall turned to that direction. "Go straight, then turn left. Rinoa should still be there. I hope you find her soon."

The SeeD turned to her. "Alright." He let go of her. "Thank you."

"Heh heh heh heh..." Kefka laughed. "You'll never find that guinea pig. This place is infested with that madman's monsters, she probably ended up their supper. Trust me." He gave Squall an assuring wink, successfully annoying him.

Squall growled and tightened the grip on his gunblade. He ran towards Kefka, When Cloud's large silver Buster sword suddenly appeared in front of him, halting his way. Squall looked at him confusingly.

"You should go find Rinoa now." The SOLDIER said, turning to Squall. "I already got this. I owe him this fight since I was a kid." He lowered his sword and faced Kefka. "This battle is mine."

Terra's eyes widened as she watched Cloud faced her captor bravely. Not letting him face it alone, she ran to his side. "And my battle too." She said.

Cloud quickly turned to her, with bewilderment written all over his face. "Terra?"

"For my parents, for myself..." She looked at Cloud. "And for you."

Cloud's eyes narroed, his eyebrows creased upwards. "For me?"

Terra nodded. "Sorry for making you worry back then, at Nibelheim. And for not listening to you." She looked down onto the ground with a pained expression. "This is all my fault. I'm the one to blame why you're all here. Why Rinoa is here. I put everyone in danger just because I didn't listen to your warnings. So now..." She looked up. "I'll face them, and make it up to everyone else. I'll end this problem, so no one will bother anyone anymore. And so that, you won't have to worry anymore."

Cloud fixed his stare at his childhood friend. "Terra..."

Kefka faked a loud yawn. "Are you done? Because this is getting old..."

Squall looked at them confusingly, while Cloud sensed his presence. "Squall, you should go now." The blond said.

Terra turned to Squall. "Please find her." She said, her hands clasped together on her chest.

Squall took a last glimpse on the three and nodded. He then ran away to the direction Terra gave him in search for his endangered girlfriend. Squall looked at them confusingly, while Cloud sensed his presence. "Squall, you should go now." The blond said.

Squall took a last glimpse on the two and nodded. He then ran away from the battlefield to the direction Terra gave him in search for his endangered girlfriend.

The mage turned back to the enemy, while Cloud, with his buster sword held forward, glared at Kekfa.

"Now I can finally deal with you."

* * *

Rinoa had been running forever. She was almost out of breath, yet she still couldn't find the dead end of the silent, empty hall. The quietness was almost deafening, creeping her of the chances that a single sound from anything at all would be a sound of a monster. And she was alone, completely defenceless and unarmed. Slowly, she was regretting about parting ways with Terra. At least she would have her magic to fight off monsters, or Hojo, or even Kefka.

She slowed down and finally stopped. She turned around and glanced at the path behind her, checking if someone was following her. There was no one.

Rinoa closed her eyes and exhaled her breath she didn't know she was holding for a while. She shook her head, almost laughing at the paranoia that was growing inside her. Of course no one was following her. Sure it was almost two or three hours since she had company (that was Terra). Maybe it was only about an hour since she last saw Terra, but she already lost count of time. And she hardly cared. She just wanted to get out of the place.

Rinoa turned back to her path and began walking again.

Suddenly, something grabbed her by her mouth and pulled her backwards. There was that damp cloth again, pressed on her mouth, waiting for her to breathe in whatever chemical it was that would make her unconscious again. But Rinoa already knew better and she did her best not to breathe. Instead, she gathered all her strength and struggled against her captor so he could finally let her go. But the lack of oxygen was not making her any stronger than the person. But this did not let her give up.

"Persistent girl, are we?" The person's deep, make voice said between his clenched teeth. Rinoa's eyes widened by the familiarity of it and struggled even more. He was more fearsome than the silence she had to deal with earlier, and worse than any of the monsters she was scared of facing alone. He was Hojo, and he was pulling her farther away from her spot.

Finally, by luck and continuous attempts of her struggling, she managed to kick him on his weak old knees, which made him yell in pain and stumble down. Rinoa took her chance to run away, though she began to feel a bit dizzy from the drug that partially entered into her nose. Still, she resisted and firmly ordered her legs to run, far far away from the mad scientist that could turn her into an abomination. She ran forward until she saw a faint glint of light on the right side of the hall. As she got closer, the vision of it became clearer and clearer, giving her the sight of a laboratory. She hurriedly entered it. It may not be the safest place at her current situation, but the tables, shelves, and the messy setting could be enough to give her some space to hide or protect herself from the scientist that was catching up with her.

That, and her body was growing weaker, slowly giving in from exhaustion. She needed a place to hide, and fast.

The moment she stepped into the room, she searched for the farthest furniture she could hide with from Hojo, and saw a large bookshelf as her best option. With the last bit of her strength, she ran towards it. Then, she noticed that her visions of things were becoming double, and they came in different strange colors. She squinted, trying to adjust her sight, but it made no different. Her head was spinning, draining all of her energy, but still was leaving enough to let her at least reach the bookshelf.

She grabbed the edge of the large piece of furniture and pulled herself behind it. She slid herself down to the floor, her back against the shelf, her lungs letting out short, quick breaths. She knew she wouldn't last long, and Hojo would catch up with her very soon, but she just couldn't push her body to go on. Not anymore. She tilted her head up and closed her tired eyes, resting them even for a while. But it only tempted her to sleep more and more, and she didn't want that. She needed to stay awake. That was her only weapon to protect herself from Hojo.

Suddenly, she heard the door open. He was already inside the laboratory, searching for her. She heard him groan, probably from the kick she gave his knee. She wished it did him a permanent damage so he would become crippled and finally give her the rest her body desperately needed. But the loud steps he was making were obvious signs that he could still walk. He was struggling to walk, but still walking nonetheless.

Rinoa closed her eyes tightly, fighting back her tears of fear. _Here we go again._

Then, she suddenly had the urge to open her eyes. She did, and her brown orbs obeyed. In front of her, behind the bookshelf where she was hidden, was a glass window. Her eyes looked through it to see a hall with a small pathway below. She initially had an idea to break the glass and jump into that pathway that could serve as her escape. It sounded like a stupid plan, but she never really had much choice.

But then, there was still that problem about breaking through. How on earth would she break the glass? She didn't have anything with her, and she didn't exactly have enough strength to break the glass.

Suddenly, there was an approaching figure. She thought it was a monster at first, but as it got closer, she squinted her eyes and realized it was a human figure.

She wished it was not Kefka, and true enough, the figure didn't look much like a clown. Rather it was a tall figure with brown, shaggy hair with a fit body wielding a large sword that looked like a...

_Gunblade._

Rinoa smiled a weak smile. It was Squall, and he was searching for something, almost frantically. Could he be searching for her?

She parted her lips and whispered his name.

Suddenly, he stopped, right in front of her line of vision. Then, as if he heard her call, he looked up to where she was sitting and his eyes widened at the sight of her weak state. Rinoa looked back at him and gave him another smile.

"My hero." She said softly. "Are you here to save me?"

Then, from behind, someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out from her spot.

* * *

"RINOA!"

Squall yelled as he watched Hojo hoisted Rinoa up violently from where she was.

Just when he finally found her.

Without thinking, he leapt up to the glass windows and broke through with his gunblade. Shards of glasses flew at all directions, sprinkling a few on Squall's hair and clothes. But he hardly cared or noticed as he searched the room for Rinoa. He turned at all corners but he couldn't find any sign of her. Only the boiling liquids inside the flasks welcomed his arrival.

_How could they disappear too quickly?_

"Looking for someone?"

Squall turned around to the direction of the voice, only to see Hojo holding an unconscious Rinoa in one arm, and pointing a needle from a syringe on her neck with his other hand.

The brunette growled, his brows meeting dangerously close. "Let her go."

Hojo chuckled. "Do you think that stupid line will do anything? Do you think I will actually do what you say I should do? Why my boy, you never learn do you?"

Squall's eyes narrowed.

Hojo smirked. "Know who you're going against, child. I am Hojo, the world's greatest. I've done hundreds of experiments on hundreds of humans. They are nothing to me but filthy beings that need modifications to make them even worthy of lives. Human beings make this world dirty. Very, very dirty. Their worthlessness disgust me. Truly disgusting. For years, I couldn't imagine how this world had dealt with such living things.

And then, there was Jenova. The goddess, the saviour. With her cells, I created a being I designed to be the perfect human being. My ideal human being. You know him. Cloud Strife.

But then you came. You, one of those common humans, yet you are just as good as he is. You became his rival, and you defied his perfection. Now he's nothing to me, he failed my vision to make the perfect human being.

Then, that Esper came. Haha! Now that was a miracle. That mage came to finally fulfill my dream to create the perfect being. Her cells with Jenova's, together they will not only create the perfect being, but the most powerful thing in this Cosmos. My Project Ultemecia. I've failed this experiment on my sevety-seven attempts. Though I am proud to say that I succeeded with one trial, but that old hag needs weeks of recharging to fully function for one day. Oh, but she truly is powerful, her strength is unimaginable. But her stamina is not enough. So, I will be trying my seventy ninth now, on this girl. Among all other test subjects I had, she is, by far, the youngest one, and one of the most compatible ones." He tilted his head closer to Rinoa's, his nose brushing against his hair. "She will be a success, I'm sure."

"LET HER GO!" Squall swung his sword on his side, about to assault Hojo, until the scientist positioned the syringe closer to Rinoa's skin. The SeeD gasped and halted.

"You're not going to attack me, if you don't want this experiment to finish quickly." Hojo said, in a tone that sent shivers down Squall's spine.

Slowly, Squall lowered his gunblade down his side, his eyes never letting go of Hojo holding Rinoa. Then, as if admitting defeat, he bend his head down, his eyes casted to the floor. Hojo grinned at the sight of the fallen SeeD.

Suddenly, before the scientist could catch his breath or blink, Squall swiftly swung his gunblade to Hojo and pulled the trigger, shooting one of his bullets to Hojo's shoulder. The scientist, due to shock and the powerful impact of the weapon, was forced backwards to the farthest wall, letting go both the syringe and Rinoa. His unconscious subject fell to the ground.

"Rinoa!" Squall dashed towards Rinoa and slipped his free arm under her, lifting her up. He felt her back moving up and down, and indication that she was still breathing. Relieve soon washed over him when he saw the syringe still full of that substance, and was thrown far away from his girlfriend. He looked up and searched for Hojo, only to find him struggling to get up while holding his profusely bleeding shoulder, wincing as he did. Squall turned to his gunblade, just as shocked as his enemy was at the impact of the single bullet he released. Though it was obvious that the shot still was not enough to finish Hojo, he still was not surprised. That man's insanity could've gotten the better of him, and who knew what kinds of genes and things he injected to himself. But he had to finish him anyway, and he would.

Carefully, he pulled Rinoa up and delicately placed her under a desk. It was, by far, the safest place he could find for her from whatever chaos that may ensue from the confrontation between him and Hojo. He turned around and was about to stand up when he felt her hand grab his arm followed by a weak moan from Rinoa. Squall turned to her.

"Rinoa..."

"Squall... don't... don't go."

The SeeD knelt in front of her as he gently held her hand. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."

Rinoa's brows furrowed above her half lidded eyes. She shook her head. "No... Squall, I'm... I'm sorry. About before."

Squall's brows creased upwards. He knew she meant about the silent treatment she gave him earlier that day. Or was it the day before? He could hardly catch up with the time. But it was long done, and whatever happened was least of his concerns. After all, she never really needed to apologize for anything.

"No, Rinoa, it was me. I should've supported you more. If I didn't say those things, you would've told me where you were going. You should have been talking to me. And I..."

He stopped, and his breathing quickened. He looked down, inhaling and exhaling, searching for any feeling of relief. Then, he felt Rinoa's soft hands, touching his face. He turned up to her, and watched her smiling at him. He wanted the moment to last forever, but Hojo's presence suddenly took over his consciousness.

Then, as if reading his mind, Rinoa spoke. "We'll talk later."

Squall quickly nodded. "Yeah..." Then, he stood up and turned to the limping Hojo, his soft expression turning dangerously deadly again.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Hojo laughed loudly and menacingly. Squall's frown went deeper. "Gotta say this. You're probably the most powerful SeeD I've ever met." He let go of his still bleeding shoulder and stretched his back. "You know, I've been stupid. I should've kidnapped you instead and made an experiment out of you. Then again, it would've been difficult capturing you. But your girlfriend there made an easy bait. Or maybe, I can use you both. I can use both your potentials and combine your cells. Then your offspring... will make a good use."

"Well that's not gonna happen." Squall said as he swung his gunblade and placed it on his shoulder. "And the old hag could be the last one you'll ever do."

Hojo's grin grew deeper and larger as he reached something from the side pocket of his lab gown. He took it out and revealed another syringe with green-like substance. "Not quite." He said playfully before piercing it through his arm.

Squall's eyes widened and stepped back. He briefly turned over his shoulder to check on Rinoa, who still managed to look shocked at Hojo's actions despite her weak state. Squall turned back to Hojo warily and held his gunblade with his two hands.

The scientist began shaking violently, groaning as he did. He stumbled down, halting himself before falling completely with his arms extended to the ground, pushing himself up. Then, he yelled, his voice sounded too agonizing the Squall could feel the pain that was going through inside him. Squall's grip on his sword grew tighter by the minute.

Suddenly, a large, black wing emerged from Hojo's heaving back, his face still downcast. When he looked up, his glowing blue eyes revealed two dark dangerous slits. He pushed himself from the ground with his arms and legs and began hovering above with his flapping wing.

_Hojo..._ Squall's eyes narrowed at the sight of Hojo's monstrous new form. _What have you done?_

"Jenova..." He spoke with his arms extended on his sides, almost in marvel with his work. "She and thrice of her powers." Hojo then landed on the floor firmly, his new weight almost breaking the ground.

"Now," He said casually, turning to Squall, who was already in his fighting stance. "where were we?"

A second later, the two dashed towards each other.

* * *

"CLOUD!" Terra screamed at the wounded SOLDIER as she casted a circular shield around them.

Kefka, who was already heavily wounded, threw another firaga spell, and Terra winced at its impact, losing her control of their only shield. Cloud was lying on the ground behind her, grabbing his arm, the same one wielding his buster sword almost too weakly. Slowly, he stood up and limply got himself back on his feet. Terra looked at him over her shoulder unbelievingly.

"Cloud! Wha..."

He didn't reply to her call, nor did he look at her. Instead, he stepped in front of Terra and as if protecting her and held his sword forward, just like what he did prior the fight. Cloud's mako-enhanced eyes looked back at Kefka, who gave him a mocking laugh at his valour.

"Such a naive boy." Kefka swayed his arm backwards, blue-colored fire illuminating in his hand. Cloud narrowed his eyes, weakly raising his sword further in defense.

Then, Kefka swung his hand towards Cloud, the fire flying off from his hand.

"CLOUD!!!"

The blonde pushed himself from the ground and dashed to the direction of the approaching fire.

"NOOO!!!"

Cloud cursed under his breath before the spell exploded on his face. He fell backwards, his body hitting the hard floor.

Terra gasped and hurriedly ran to his direction. She fell on her knees by his side and lifted his blistered face in her arms.

"No..." She sobbed as she examined the unconscious Cloud. His bruised face was full of blisters, and a streak of crimson blood streamed from his forehead down to his jaw. The sight of his beaten self made Terra's sobs turn into tears falling down her cheeks.

"One down." Kefka breathed. "That pesky little-"

"Enough..." Terra muttered between her clenched teeth, her eyes closed tightly and her brows creased together.

"Shut up and face me!" Kefka extended his arm as yellow lights of the thundaga spell started to gather in his hand.

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Terra turned and casted a fire gathered in a large ball of burning light at Kefka. And as soon as the tip of it touched his skin, it exploded massively, but silently.

The clown yelled as he felt himself thrown ten good meters away from the battlefield. He fell violently on the ground, and rolled profusely, breaking his arm in the process. Kefka shrieked in pain as he finally stopped and grabbed his injured limb. He rolled himself on a more comfortable position at his side as he went on moaning and groaning in pain. It overwhelmed him too much that he failed to notice the mysterious female purple figure with disproportionate hands and feet, and long purple spiked extended from her head. She was hastily floating towards Kefka, another set of fire spell beginning to gather in her hands.

"You have done enough." She said.

* * *

He dashed away again from the mutated scientist as he threw another spell at him. Apparently, Squall learned a new spell from the mysterious aeon. It came in red, shooting so swiftly towards his enemy, with a speed almost as fast as light. Though it would seem to be powerful enough to kill a nimble monster in one shot, it still was no match to Hojo's newfound strength. Squall was practically running for his life, deflecting Hojo's occasional attacks with his gunblade.

"Here I thought you can surpass my creation that is Cloud Strife." The monstrous scientist said as he got closer to Squall. "It appears you are still one of those filthy humans after all."

Squall growled as he quickly stepped backwards. "C'mon..." He quietly muttered between his teeth, calling for the aeon's help. "This is a desperate situation... c'mon..."

Rinoa watched in horror as Hojo slowly cornered Squall, with him winning the fight. She suddenly forgot her nearly unconscious state and decided it was about time she help the SeeD. She looked around for something, anything at all that might aid Squall in the battle he was losing, but only saw chairs, tables and flasks inside the laboratory.

Then, an idea suddenly popped into her head as she looked at the flasks. Hojo's talks of experiments and his "project Ultemecia" he shared with Kefka and Squall reminded her of the syringe Hojo dropped before the fight. It should still contain whatever genetic modifications Hojo had planned for it, and it could help Squall... that is, by injecting Hojo's experiment into her system. She looked around the room for the syringe and finally saw it lying on the floor among the scattered rubbles of broken glasses caused by the fight, though fortunately resting far from the battling pair. Wincing in pain, Rinoa forced herself to leave her spot and crawled her way to the small thing she considered to be Squall's only hope of winning. As she finally got near it, she reached her arm out and took it with her shaking hand before staring at it. Once she injects it to herself, whatever was inside it would be permanently flowing inside her. And whatever effects it will have, whatever it can turn her into, will be something she would have to deal with for the rest of her life. There won't be turning back.

She looked at the monstrous Hojo. He turned out to be a fierce being, almost inhuman the moment he took out a syringe from his pocket and pierced it into himself. As Rinoa watched him hovering above Squall, chasing him almost too murderously as his desire for Squall's blood was obvious in his eyes, it became apparent to her that she might turn into something like him. Then, she turned to Squall. If she didn't do anything, then something might happen that she might regret. And regrets are always realized far too late. But Squall, he knew of that, and he risked his life to save her from her captors. There was nothing for him to regret because he couldn't say he never tried. He did, and he was fighting for his and his girlfriend's lives as he swung his gunblade once more in defense from his enemy's clawing attack.

Rinoa winced for a split second as she watched Squall struggle too hardly. She couldn't watch him get hurt. Not anymore.

She closed her eyes tightly, and with all the might left in her, Rinoa pierced the injection through her arm and pushed all its contents inside her bloodstream. Once it was empty, she threw it aside and felt her arm jerk for a second. She had the sudden urge to gasp for air and inhaled as deeply as her lungs would allow her. And the moment she exhaled, she felt much more awake than she was before. Whatever it was inside that syringe, it did her good... for now.

She turned again to Squall, and he was struggling more than ever. His gunblade was in front of him, pushing the forceful Hojo from clawing the brunette's skin to his death. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know anything about battles. But she had to do something, especially that Squall was gripping his gunblade to his dear life. Suddenly, she felt an electrical tingling sensation from the tips of her fingers. She turned to it and saw sparks of yellow light flowing and dancing out from her hands. Was she supposed to touch Hojo and electrocute him to his death? Or was she supposed to point her finger to him and wait until electricity shoots him? Whatever she was supposed to do, she didn't know. But she had to try something. Rinoa raised her arm and pointed it at Hojo. She didn't know what would happen, but it had to be worth the try.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, thunder shot down from the sky and assaulted Hojo on his spot. Rinoa's eye went wide and gasped as she looked at her hand then to Hojo, who was thrown far away from where he was previously fighting Squall. Rinoa aimed her arm to the scientist again cautiously as she ran her way to Squall's side.

The SeeD was just as dumbfounded as Rinoa after seeing the damage she had done. The impact of the thunder spell was so strong, it burnt half of Hojo's wing. When he felt Rinoa on his side, he quickly turned to her, his eyes full of doubt and shock, and his mouth gaping open.

"Wha..." He managed to mutter.

Rinoa did not turn to him while still focused on Hojo, whose attack she anticipated at any moment. "I'll explain later. We should be going out of here now."

Suddenly, Hojo disappeared, leaving no sign nor any trace of him.

Rinoa gasped and Squall narrowed his eyes.

"Oh Hyne..."

"Come on!" Squall stood up and pulled Rinoa by her arm. "Let's go before he-"

"LOOK OUT!" Rinoa suddenly shrieked as she abruptly pushed Squall behind her and extended her arm towards the large shards of shooting ice.

"Stop." She commanded at the blizzard spell as she waved her hand. Then, as if obeying her order, they did stop, pausing midair before finally falling to the ground. Their absence on air gave Rinoa a clearer view of Hojo, who was flying by the place's high ceiling, obviously astonished and amused at the same time by Rinoa's suddenly demonstration of his experiment's success. She didn't have to tell him that she injected his project into her system, he knew she would eventually do it, but not before watching her beloved in the brink of his defeat. He knew everything, he planned it well. And he had further plans.

Rinoa folded her arm to her chest and waved it again to Hojo. But instead of a typical elemental spell that came out of her palm, a small, meteor-like thing came out of it and shot right at Hojo. The scientist bent his torso to his side, letting the spell pass him by, successfully dodging the attack while still staring wittingly at the young couple.

"Amusing..." Hojo said while folding his arms against his chest. "Truly amusing. What do you know, my experiment does work."

"Experiment?" Squall breathed out while looking questioningly at Hojo, then to Rinoa.

She turned her head to him over her shoulders, her eyes downcast. "I injected it in me."

Squall's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm sorry!" Rinoa looked directly at the brunette's eyes before swiftly turning back to Hojo. "I'm sorry, okay? He's going to kill you if I don't do something!"

"And you think it helped?" Hojo slowly began to raise his arm over his head, as black and red smokes started to gather behind him. Rinoa extended her arms protectively in front of Squall while he quickly raised his gunblade in front of them as a shield from whatever was coming, and grabbed Rinoa's waist with his free hand.

"That's not going to help either." The elevated scientist said before suddenly shooting his arm downwards on his side. Suddenly, a loud BANG was heard, accompanied by a bright and enormous explosion. Squall hugged Rinoa and covered her protectively with his arms, while Rinoa did the same with him.

"Meet my first successful experiment," The smoke began to slowly disappear, while a tall, silhouette of a woman was emerging. Squall slowly lowered his arm from his face and Rinoa's head, then looked at the new predicament they would be facing.

Then, there she was, as summoned by the scientist; a tall, muscular woman with long silver hair that covered her naked body, embedded with black coloured tattoos engraved on her pale skin. Her piercing gold eyes were slanted downwards to her nosebridge, dangerously meeting close together. Her hands were huge, purple claws of a beast, and so were her even larger feet. She was a monstrous sight, an inhuman abomination.

Hojo smirked. "Ultemecia..." He raised his arm at the lovers' direction. "Kill them."

Ultemecia didn't move a muscle as she kept her eyes on her enemies. Squall's hold on Rinoa grew tighter and more wary, while Rinoa nervously looked up and around them for anything that might spring out at any second. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the floor was slowly breaking apart, creating cracks where light was seeping through from below. Then, as if it was his initial reaction, Squall pushed Rinoa away from him and the cracking floor.

Rinoa fell on her back hard against the ground, several meters away from Squall, who was surrounded by cracks and trying to find his way out from his dangerous spot.

"Squall!" Rinoa yelled at the brunette. She pushed herself up and stood.

Suddenly, a star-shaped emblem of light inside a circle of burning flames came out of nowhere beneath her. Rinoa gasped when the emblem quickly grew brighter, signalling a possible strong explosion around her. She looked at it blankly, as she froze on her spot, figuring out what she should be doing.

"Rinoa!" Squall called, as he jumped from one flat surface to another, avoiding the holes that were forming around him. He took a quick glance at her, and his eyes went wide as soon as he noticed the light around her growing more vivid. He felt his heart beating fast and quickly jumped his way closer to her.

Then, she turned to look at him, a late reaction to his call. Her eyes told him that she felt helpless and scared. The already brighter light around her made gave him a clearer sight of her scared face.

"No! Rinoa!"

The embled exploded around her, as she succumbed into the light.

Squall's eyes went wider. "RINOA!"

The light vanished, and its only trace it left was Rinoa's unconcscious and blistered body, lying on the ground.

His eyes dilated in despair at the vision of her.

"NOOO!!!"

He cried angrily.

Then, as if responding to Squall's agonizing howl, a huge, long metal chain with a crossed anchor suddenly shot down from the sky to the underground. Hojo frowned at its sudden appearance, while Ultemecia merely stared at it with a blank expression. Suddenly, it began pulling up something from the deep pits of the ground that seemed to be too heavy, judging from the pace of the moving chain. Until it appeared.

Slowly emerging from the ground was a large, bandaged head with dark blue spikes lining along the center of it. The bandages showed one eye from the side of its head which glowed in blue color. The lower half of its head was uncovered, revealing its mouth with long, sharp teeth and four pointed fangs evenly distributed to the upper and lower rows. Then, its body emerged, a wide, stone-hard torso covered by its long arms, crossed against its chest, firmly tied by white ropes to its sides. Its hands were proportionally large, with sharp, purple claws wringling restlessly. Two tall, shell-like objects were standing by its sides, and chains were wrapped securely around it. The monstrous figure was a bit more than four-story tall, making Hojo gape at it in pure incredulousness and helplessness.

"_... if you finally summon this aeon, she will aid you in your battles for the rest of your life. And you, will officially become her summoner. This also means that you can give her any order, and she will immediately obey."_

"Make them feel pain. Great deal of pain,"

"_And you have to call her by her name, too."_

"Anima."

It roared. A loud and painful roar. And as it did, Anima's hands stretched open, struggling to break free from its ropes. Suddenly, the ground around her opened, revealing Anima's lower half, which looked ten times more dangerous than she was; a freer, demon-like creature with long, white hair cover most part of its face, except it's mouth with longer sharp teeth and equally lethal fangs. The spikes on its head were golden yellow, with two additionally long, huge horns curved downward. Its hands were long and unbinded, and its fists on its sides were large.

Ultemecia and Hojo were pulled down under the ground before they were positioned in front of Anima's lower half. Then, it roared, much louder though more furiously, and it was the last thing that could be heard before the hellish hole on the floor finally closed up.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm thinking of getting a twitter or something. I don't like twitter that much, but I want to get in touch with you guys. Or maybe a blog, so I can share things with you like ideas and stuff... What do you think?

Oh, and btw, the next chapter of this story is going to be the last one... *sob* T-T


	23. All is Well That Ends Well

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy or any part of the series... or anything that is not mine for that matter.

**Author's Note**: Wah! The final chapter is here! *sad* well, this story must end, and whether you believe it or not, writing this chapter was very sad for me. I really enjoyed writing this story, but all stories have endings. And new ones will begin. :)

This chapter is really how I intended it to end, and I can only hope that you guys will like it. :)

* * *

A loud, shrill cry was heard in the halls of Tear's Point, almost shaking the whole structure where the big battle ensued. And all the friends that were left fighting the endless numbers of monsters could think of were the images of Squall, Cloud, and Rinoa in trouble.

Irvine was struggling with a large, lizard-type monster with his empty shotgun when he heard the loud roar.

"Shit!"

He pushed the monster away from him and quickly turned his attention to the darkened halls beyond.

"No..." Selphie, who left the robot and fought by Irvine's side, clasped her hands together in a silent prayer she hoped will be answered.

More monsters were pouring in, and most were stronger than the previous. The young group were getting weaker, as they made the most out of their hopeless situation, fighting despite being outnumbered.

Seifer just impaled another tiger-like monster with his gunblade before fiercely standing and walked his way unto the next one.

Paine turned to him as she more weakly sliced off a giant, green colored mosquito. "We're going to fall back! It's pointless to keep fighting!"

Seifer smirked, brushing off the other SeeD's worries. "I can take them."

Tidus and Zack were fighting another giant Ochu side by side, with Yuna constantly healing her friends from a distant safety... and getting weaker. She fell on her knees, barely feeling the strength of magic that kept her going all those time.

"Yuna!" Rikku cried at her fallen cousin, too perturbed to notice a giant, flying red monster approaching her machina to an attack.

Tidus, holding his sea-blue blade to guard himself from Ochu's deadly tentacles, turned to Yuna. "No! Argh-!"

Then, he noticed Rikku's machina in danger.

"AAAAHH!" the young Al Bhed screamed as she held her arms in front of her for protection. But swiftly, before she could experience a taste of the monster's wrath, she was pushed out from the machina by an injured blonde, and together they fell to the hard floor.

Rikku slowly removed her arms from her head and turned to her savior. And gasped.

"Quistis!"

The blonde SeeD turned to Rikku, her eyes slightly wincing from pain. "Rikku... are you... okay?" she weakly said before clasping her still injured side, groaning.

Rikku, in panic, immediately sat up and rested Quistis' head on her lap. She then felt her pockets and realized that she had ran out of potions.

"Oh no..."

Suddenly, from the distance, slowly filling the hole Rikku's machina caused hours ago was a large shadow of an approaching huge Estharian ship. Quistis raised her head slightly for a good view of it, as did Rikku who followed her gaze. Then, two smaller airships came to view, following the bigger one in a fast pace. Inside of them were hundreds of well-trained soldiers from Esthar, waiting for their President's command who was leading the main aircraft.

Laguna let out an encouraging smile, which he knew was not seen by the brave, fighting youths inside the dangerous Tear's Point. Carefully, he pressed a button on the main pilot's board.

"Ready to attack for back-up." He said on a nano-microphone almost invisible to the naked eye, delivering the message to the three airships where rescue depended.

"Now."

* * *

He heard a roar. It wasn't coming form the back of his head, it was real. Only he couldn't see where it was coming from because he couldn't open his eyes. He was too weak to lift them open. He knew it was something from the dangerous realm he was in; at Tear's Point. And this thought alarmed him.

Another angry groan vibrated in the halls of the building, and into his ears. From the back of his lids, he could make out sparks of light coming in different colors. Something was definitely going on and he needed to move. He flinched his arm slightly to test his forebearance to pain, and instantly realized that he was aching all over. He groaned against his throat and willed himself to turn on his back. Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned his head to his side. He squinted. There was barely anything he could see but light. All light coming in streams of different colors, sparking on and off like thousands of flickering bulbs.

Then, a howl of a female voice.

"Terra..." He muttered weakly, remembering how they were in danger before he passed out from Kefka's powerful blow, leaving Terra alone with the insane clown. He had to help her. He had to save her.

Cloud forced his body to stand up, with all the strength he could squeeze out of him. With his one hand, he carried his giant sword, and immediately assisted it with his other. He limped to the light's direction.

He squinted again at the huge amount of light emitting from the two struggling figures that were finally appearing the closer he dared to get. He was searching for Terra, his eyes shifting from one figure to the other. He couldn't make out which one was Terra and which was the enemy.

"Damn!" He hissed. "Terra!" He called anxiously. "Terra, where are you!"

Finally, a thin, unfamiliar figure sprang out form the light and roughly landed on the ground. It looked completely strange; alien even. Though Cloud recognized it's body as female, only with large claws, and equally large feet with long, thick spikes flowing down from its head. Her dangerous eyes were in dark purple, and were focused on the opponent in front of her. She stood up as quickly as she fell. The slightly confused Cloud turned to the other side, surprised to see the weakening Kefka struggling to keep himself standing.

The blond SOLDIER stepped back from the clown and narrowed his eyes. _If he is Kefka, then..._

The alien figure turned to him, and her eyes widened. "Cloud?"

He recognized that voice. Somehow, he knew it belonged to Terra, but he could never be sure. Cautiously holding his sword up between him and Kefka, he turned her. "Yeah." He replied to her confirmation. "Terra? Is that you?"

She nodded. "Yes Cloud, it's me. I-I know you've never seen me before like this but... this is my Esper self."

Cloud looked at her hesitantly before turning back at the coughing Kefka. "And... you did all this?"

"Yes." Terra answered. "But it wasn't enough. He's too hard to take down."

"Heh heh heh heh..." Kekfa laughed, still weakly bended to his knees. Then, he let out a louder laugh as he straightened up and faced the ceiling. He looked at the enemies, smirking.

"I have thrice the power you have, dear. THRICE." He held out three fingers to emphasize his point. "You can never, ever kill me. EVER. This is not going to end with me dying." Angrily, he stretched out his hand and a ball of red light was beginning to form again in it. "I. WILL. NOT. LET YOU. DEFEAT ME!"

The ball shot out from his hand, faster than a bullet firing out from a gun. But the two youths swiftly jumped out from their place to one side and narrowly avoided the attack.

Kefka began heaving on his knees again, gathering his energy for his next move. He may be nearly invincible, but Terra was able to tire him enough. Cloud shielded himself and Terra weakly with his Buster sword from whatever move Kefka was planning on that he thought he'd better anticipate anytime, or regret it later.

A sharp pain shot to his rib and he groaned, grabbing the spot with his free hand. Terra looked at him worriedly. "Cloud? Are you-"

"I'm fine." He cut her gently. He turned to her. "Terra, what's the most powerful attack you got?"

Terra narrowed her eyes. "I guess I have Meltdown. But it takes time to make."

Cloud nodded. "Okay. Can you manage to attack Kefka with that? I'll distract him. Wait for my signal, and attack him. Okay?"

"Cloud, what are you planni-"

"Okay?" Cloud repeated. "Terra, I need you to trust me on this."

The Esper stared at him thoughtfully. Then finally, she nodded meekly. "Okay."

Cloud stood up, suppressing another groan or making any sound from his throat that might make Terra suspect he was in pain. He inhaled a shallow breath, gentle with his painful rib, and dragged his sword on his side, and in front of Kefka.

Terra could only watch him anxiously.

The clown lifted his head to the blond. "What do you want now?"

Cloud lifted his sword over his shoulder in a fighting stance.

Kefka snorted. "Is that so?"

Cloud did not waste any time and dashed forward Kefka, swinging his sword to the clown, who easily dodged it. Kefka shot two smaller ice spells on Cloud, who was able to avoid both. He then jumped from his spot and was about to strike Kefka when floating rocks began flying to him. Cloud smacked them away from him with his Buster sword and landed on his feet, distant from Kefka. The clown mage glided towards him and shot smaller fire spells like small, powerful bullets, which were easily deflected by Cloud, aided by his mako senses. He then jumped high enough to get himself behind Kefka and attempted to strike him with his sword. But Kefka was faster and he flew away from it. Cloud pursued him.

Unbeknownst to Kefka, he fell to Cloud's plan and was far, far away from Terra. In fact, too far for him to sense the Esper's preparation of her most powerful elemental spell. Gathering in a growing, orange ball of gleaming light were fires coming from her hands. She made a quick glance at Kefka, afraid that her Meltdown might hit Cloud too. But she agreed she would trust him. If only he knew how powerful that spell was.

"NOW!" Cloud yelled, avoiding another shard of ice from Kefka.

"Cloud! Get away!"

"NOW TERRA!"

Terra shut her eyes and hesitantly let go of her fireball. Cloud, realizing that the spell was as fast as light, quickly jumped out of his spot, leaving the vulnerable Kefka at the mercy of Terra's magic. Then, it exploded, a tall and wide one with an impossibly powerful impact. Cloud felt himself thrown several meters away, hitting a far wall before he finally slumped unto the ground, unconscious.

Nothing of the enemy was left at the aftermath, but the crystal dusts of what were once his body infused with magical powers of an Esper. If that was what Espers became after they die, nobody knew except those who witnessed it. But one thing was sure; it was Kefka's end, and his invincibility was proven horribly wrong.

A tired Terra with no energy left by her Esper self was dragging her own body to the unconscious Cloud's side. Until the end of the battle, despite his weak state, he was still loyally holding his sword. Terra, who was slowly transforming back to her normal, human self, inhaled for air before falling on her knees and finally dropping herself beside Cloud. Her eyes were closed, as were his, and their hands were almost touching, as if they were reaching for each other.

* * *

Pain. There was nothing but endless pain.

Hojo made another struggling pull and dragged himself forward, towards the exit and away from Hyne knows what monster. A fit version of himself would go back and capture the monster for his own experiments. But that would be too impossible at his hopeless state, and the creature's frightening power the damned SeeD was able to possess. It, whatever it was, pulled Hojo and Ultemecia, his creation, down with a strong magnetic force into a massive red hole underneath them. And beyond the ground was a void with nothing but burning hot flames, occupied by the beast's lower half which threw brutal, traumatizing punches at the mutated scientist and Ultemecia.

It was worse than hell.

After what seemed like forever, he was thrown out mercilessly back on the ground, still miraculously alive. But Ultemecia was not fortunate. Not a single flinch of life was found on her perished body. Another failure.

Hojo pulled himself again and screaming in combined pain and agony. He could feel his crushed bones inside his body piercing his own flesh like tiny knives and torturing him slowly. He might as well concede and leave himself to die inside Tear's Point, but he was not one to give up. No. Not after all he had done for his lifetime's work, he had to live and move on.

He was almost there.

And then, there was a gleam of light. Finally a stream of light.

He relaxed his broken arm and rested in the ground in relief that he could finally see a light of hope from his excruciating escape, and to the main doors of Tear's Point.

He began crawling again while wailing desperately. He was almost there, he could finally see it. He could almost taste it.

"Long time no see, Hojo."

Hojo froze at the sound of a strangely familiar voice, a voice he had not heard for ages.

Sounds of footsteps were heard, getting louder as they got nearer to him. Then, a pair of black booths stopped in front of his pained eyes.

"Remember me?" Laguna asked, as a way of reminding Hojo of the horrors he contributed during the great war at Esthar.

Clicking sounds of the same Esthar guns that killed the hundreds monstrosities of Tear's Point were pointed at their own creator.

* * *

She seemed lifeless in his arms. But no, she couldn't be lifeless. She-

Squall shut his eyes tightly from the hurtful sight of a comatosed Rinoa. He opened his eyes again and gave her a helpless stare. He lifted Rinoa slightly, and rested his forehead against hers before he slid his head down and pressed his cheek on hers. He then whispered her name in a hopeful tone that she would hear it and finally open her eyes.

Behind him was the trinkling sound of chains from Anima's bounds. She was idly waiting for her master's next command.

The master, finally recognizing his aeon's presence, lifted himself slightly from Rinoa. "I have no more orders for you."

Anima growled softly, but still loudly.

Squall turned to look at the giant. "I know. You've helped me alot here." He replied, as if he understood her growl. "But..."

He turned to Rinoa again, and remained like that for another moment. He slide his arm under her legs, and placed his other one on her back. Then, he effortlessly lifted her up as he gracefully stood. He could still remember the first time he carried her like that in his arms; she was angry at him as she wore that violent stare that matched his.

He needed, more than anything, to bring that kind of life back into her.

"Anima..." He said. "I have to bring Rinoa back. I don't know how, but I'll bring her back. And as for you..." He turned his head over his shoulder. "you're free. I'm setting you free."

Anima made another gentle growl that sounded almost like a whimper. It made Squall's lips curve slightly upward.

"You don't want to leave yet?" asked Squall, in a monotone voice. He turned back to Rinoa. "If that's the case then maybe you should know something. From here on, it will all be about her. Everything will be about her; future battles, missions, trials, victory, happiness... life itself. It will all be for her. And I will live them all for her." He paused and let another moment pass as he examined her with lonely eyes. "She's what keeps me going now. And I'll never stop until I can hear her voice again and she can hear mine when I tell her I'm sorry."

Squall shut his eyes again before slowly lifting Rinoa closer to him. Flashes of memories passed by before his covered eyes; the moment he failed to protect her from Ultemecia that brought her to that lifeless state, the time he shut her cold the day before, the day he brought her to Balamb Garden and told her everything, the afternoon she bought the ring he was wearing now and ended up sitting beside him by the fireplace in her house, the awkward time she wiped his cut clean at their usual place inside the library, and the Christmas night when they slid their rings on each other's finger and kissed for the first time.

He felt his eyes fought tears back. "I'm sorry..." He murmured what his heart screamed.

After another moment, he pulled himself away from Rinoa, turned his eyes ahead of him and inhaled deeply.

"So, which is it for you?" He addressed to the aeon before he began walking forward.

Anima let out another roar, as if calling for her master back. Squall halted from his steps and turned around, revealing to his aeon his tired, vulnerable self. Anima stared at him with it's glowing, blue eye, and slowly began to vanish, with a bright white orb steadily forming on her chest as she did. Then, letting out one last growl, Anima finally disappeared before Squall's watchful eyes.

The floating white orb she left began to fly to Squall's direction, until it hovered over Rinoa's chest. Gently and slowly, it touched the unconscious one and its light spread all over her.

Squall watched her in anticipation and hoping that the light did her good.

Then, there was a gasp for air from Rinoa. And finally, she opened her eyes.

Squall's eyes widened and a smile finally stretched across his cheeks. "Rinoa?"

Rinoa blinked a few times and looked at Squall. She held her brown gaze with his blue ones and parted her lips. "Squall?"

Squall's smile went wider and brought her closer to him, almost embracing her. "Rinoa..." he whispered in relief through her hair.

Rinoa slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him closer. "Squall, I'm so glad you're alright!"

He let out a chuckle. Even after recovering from a comatose he wasn't even sure she'd wake up from, she as still overly worried about him.

Rinoa pulled herself from him and cupped his face with her soft hands. She met his smiling eyes and smiled back at him. A drop of suppressed tear of what she took as happiness trickled down his cheek and she gently brushed it away.

She giggled. "It's okay now." said Rinoa comfortingly. She turned to look around her and the mess that was left of Hojo's laboratory. "I think it's over now."

Squall nodded. "Yeah. It's over now."

Rinoa turned her attention back at Squall when she suddenly noticed something past behind him. She narrowed her eyes, and an alarmed Squall noticed them.

"What? What is it?" He asked worriedly as he turned around.

"What is that?"

Hovering a few meters rom the ground was a small red crystal, shaped like a fang. Cautiously and gently, Squall placed Rinoa down on the ground and let her stood there away from the crystal. Warily, he approached it, and immediately felt the aura leaking out of it. It was his aeon, Anima.

"She's waiting for me to take her back." Squall said.

"Who?" asked a curious Rinoa.

Squall turned to Rinoa. "It's my aeon, Anima. I set her free, but she chose to help me by bringing you back." He smiled at her before looking back at the crystal. "Now she's telling me to take her back."

Rinoa nodded, smiling. "Maybe because she had no one else, and maybe she needed you. Maybe you really should take her back."

Squall nodded. "Yeah. Maybe."

He touched the crystal and it began to glow so brightly. Then, like the white orb that brought Rinoa back to life, it flew to his direction and touched his chest before it gently penetrated into him. After taking it's time to build itself inside him, Squall felt the contentment of his aeon, as she finally became a part of him for the rest of his life, forever serving him.

* * *

Cloud moved slightly on his spot, and winced when he felt his still, painful rib. He blinked his eyes a few times and finally opened them, before realizing that he was in a brightly lit, medium-sized blue room, and a running engine can be heard in the background. He turned his head to his size, and felt the soft, fluffy cushion beneath him.

"Huh..." he grunted.

Slowly, he lifted himself and sat on his bed. It was a narrow one, with solid metal frame attached to the room's metal wall. And not too far across his bed was another one, where Terra was lying down, sleeping peacefully.

Cloud carefully slid his legs on the edge of his bed and gazed at her softly a bit longer. She looked almost like how he first saw her at Shinra for after many, many years. Her clothes were ripped though, and he had to borrow her with one his own shirts. But now, her clothes dirtied by the previous battle with Kefka were replaced with a cotton, white gown worn around her thin frame. She was cleaned up too, from scratches and blisters, as if no battle had happened before he woke up again.

Which made him wonder.

The blond SOLDIER looked down on himself, and realized that he too was wearing a white shirt, with white pants, matching Terra's gown. He lifted his shirt, and found bandages wrapped around his rib, especially at the spot where it hurt the most. Cloud pulled his shirt down back, stood up and approached Terra silently. And when he finally reached her, he brushed her curly, emerald hair away from her face.

"Terra..." He murmured softly. "Someone helped us."

"Damn right someone did." A deep voice said.

Cloud turned to him with narrowed eyes. Then, when he finally recognized his visitor, he smiled.

"Squall." He acknowledged.

The brunette nodded at him. He was also wearing the same white clothes Cloud was wearing. Only that, he didn't look much injured as he was. He looked scratchless, except the scar between his eyes that Cloud gave him during the years of their heated rivalry. The blond one smirked, and Squall gave him a confused look.

But before he could ask anything, Cloud spoke. "We're in Ragnarok now, are we?"

Squall shook his head. "We're in an Esthar ship that belongs to the President."

"You mean your father."

Squall scoffed and turned his head away. "Whatever." He looked back at Cloud. "He flew here for back-up with more Esthar soldiers. And that's how he found us."

Cloud smirked and looked around the blue room. "Honestly, it's a pretty neat ship."

Squall slipped his hands inside his pockets and sluggishly walked beside Cloud as he examined the room as well. "Odine designed this whole airship."

Cloud nodded impressively. "Nice."

Then, after giving the room one last look, he turned his eyes back at Terra. She was still deep in her slumber, despite the noise he and Squall were making.

Squall followed and took a look at the sleeping Esper as well. "She'll be alright. She was checked-up and all by the medical team, and found nothing wrong with her. She's just sleeping." He assured the blond.

Cloud closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again and smiled. "I know."

Squall placed his hand encouragingly at Cloud and began walking away from him. Before he reached the door, Cloud called to him.

"Squall."

The brunette stopped from his tracks and turned to the restless Cloud. It was evident in his timid eyes and uneasy motions of his hands that he wanted to say something, but he couldn't get himself to. Cloud was almost fidgeting on his spot as he looked at Squall, forcing words to free themselves from his mouth, but Squall knew better. He already knew what Cloud wanted to say.

He tipped his head from his former rival meaningfully. "You're welcome." He said.

Cloud nodded stiffly before waving his hand to Squall, as if showing him that he exactly got what he meant. "Yeah."

Squall waved his own hand dismissively before stepping outside the door leaving Cloud and his girlfriend/childhood best friend/whatever in peace, into the halls of the giant airship, and headed to his own room.

* * *

Rinoa's head snapped up from the small round window by her bed to the sound of the sliding door. There entered her roommate in white clothes that matched her own gown. She smiled dearly at him.

"Hey." he greeted.

Rinoa giggled. "Hey." she replied.

Squall smiled back at her and walked towards her bed. Without making Rinoa scoot, he found his spot with ease and sat behind her, extending his legs and trapping her between them. Then, as Rinoa watched him in confusion, he slid his arms around her waist and held her there. Rinoa blushed when he lightly buried his chin on her neck.

"Squall, what are you doing?" Rinoa whispered nervously.

But Squall didn't answer. Slowly, he closed his eyes before he inhaled deeply and enjoyed the scent of Rinoa by his side. He had never been this close to her, and he never really had appreciated the experience of knowing that someone was there for him until he had Rinoa. He embraced her more tightly and shuffled himself against her, taking in the feeling of her warmth and safety in his arms that were his comfort.

Rinoa smiled too and held his arms gently as she leaned closer back to him. She closed her eyes as well and rested on Squall's lean chest, wishing that their peaceful moment would last longer than forever. And if there was such a thing, it would be nothing but wonderful.

"I thought I completely lost you." Squall murmured painfully to her ears, brushing his face against her soft, ebony hair.

Rinoa rubbed his arm comfortingly. "But I'm here now, right? And we did it. We all made it out safely."

Squall nodded slightly. He opened his eyes and gazed at his arm in Rinoa's hand. "Rinoa, I'm sorry."

Rinoa giggled melodically. "For what?"

"For everything." Squall's soothing voice said apologetically. "And yesterday, on my car. I was jus-"

But before he could finish, Rinoa turned around and held his cheek in her free hand. She met his steel blue eyes and that was enough to make him pause. She smiled at him, that same one he would always kill to see. "There's nothing to be sorry about, okay?" Rinoa rubbed his cheek with her smooth, soft palm. "I had my faults too, I should have spent more time with you. But in the end, you forgave me for it too, right?"

Squall's lips began to curve upwards.

"So don't say sorry anymore. To me, every mistake you make is still a part of you. And that's why..." She flicked his nose with her fingers ever so gently that it only slightly tickled him. "that's why I love you."

Squall's smile grew wider and rested his forehead against hers and held the moment there for another while.

"I can't believe I actually met you." said Squall.

Rinoa giggled. "Is this the part when you'll kiss me?"

"Well, I would've. But you already made it awkward."

Rinoa pouted. "Oh. Bummer."

Squall didn't waste any more moment and leaned closer to meet her soft lips with his dryer ones. It didn't catch her off guard, and eagerly responded to his gentle, stolen kiss. As soon as she held out her other hand to his other cheek, he pulled away and examined her warmly with his half-lidded eyes. She did too, while smiling at him lovingly, letting him know that she was with him and always will. Then, slowly and carefully this time, he pulled her closer again and closed the gap with a deeper kiss, to which she was not prepared for, but accepted wholeheartedly.

And they never had to say sorry again.

* * *

There was nothing too special about the aftermath of Hojo's downfall, the death of Kefka, and the discovery of what used to be monster-infested Tear's Point. Well, except that Sections A and B were finally getting along, Rufus Shinra was slowly losing his credibility as the company's President, and the two former rivals' true identities were ultimately revealed to the whole student body of Deling High. Though just the more personal side of their prince-like identities, as they chose to keep the other half of their lives working as mercernaries a secret. And the same went with all the other friends who joined them in the big fight.

Yuna agreed to teach Squall how to control his aeon, and how Anima would not be only useful with battles, but also with other simple day-to-day things as an informat and seeing the future by contacting other spirits and aeons.

"You can talk to people who are already dead too." She enthusiastically added. Squall only shuddered.

"Uh, no thank you?"

And he hoped he would never have to do that part.

Rikku, Paine and Tidus on the other hand were the ones who helped the two sections to make ammends easier, acting like balancing agents to get the one to talk to the other. Paine tried her best as Tidus and Rikku did excellent jobs on their parts.

Quistis and Seifer were finally together after he made it to SeeD, which he, of course, only did for Quistis' sake. The so-called courtship rather went quite oddly, when it happened that night during the Seifer's SeeD graduation party. Quistis angrily stormed out of the ballroom hall after another uneasy argument with newly appointed SeeD. Seifer quickly ran after her, but she was too fast for him to catch up.

"Thank you so much for ruining the night!" She shouted at him. "I don't even know why you still invited me he-"

"SHUT UP!" He snapped at her after he finally stopped on his tracks. "Just shut up and tell me you love me!"

Though the endless arguing and fighting were still there, it was obvious that they were meant for each other, especially when Seifer always bought her favorite flowers and ginger muffins to soften her heart.

Irvine and Selphie were same as always. Though they spent alot of time lately at Rikku's while the three perky girls, Selphie, Rikku and Yuffie, play with Al Bhed machinas after school. Irvine was behind Selphie, never leaving her, as always.

Zell, who once loathed section B's Reno and Rude, became the partner's third best friend. They often called themselves with the lamest names like "The Awesomest Gang", or "The Baby Cryers", or "RaZoR"... but at the end of the day, their group was as solid as gold, and their friendship was as clear as crystal.

Tifa, who realized that she had alot of similarities with Quistis, became the blonde's best friend. While Quistis was the smartest of them all (even smarter than Squall will ever be), Tifa could perfectly understand things with her heart. As Quistis provided her with logical reasons, Tifa provided her with emotional answers, especially now that she needed them with Seifer. Tifa became her confidante, while Quistis became the other girl's common sense.

Zack Fair, the quirky SOLDIER, stayed with his best buddy at Shinra as they tried to get it back on its feet. The company was put into question after the discovery of Hojo and his horrible experiments, as well as Shinra's mission to rescue him and keep him safely under their watchful security. But Cloud, to Terra's insistence, decided to stay and help his father regain the company's good reputation. And with the support of the Estharian government, the one that captured the same scientist who made Shinra so infamous, he was doing quite well with it. Zack and Cloud became Shinra's representatives, escorted by their three mentors, as they defend the company in courts, media, press conferences and the like. And as a sign of gratitude, Cloud searched for a way for Zack's girlfriend Aerith to stay with them in the city and fixed her long-awaited scholarship (which Cloud was able to make Rufus Shinra grant for her) to join them at Deling High.

Terra, the Esper that started it all, was planning on leaving.

"But, where will you go?" Cloud asked hesitantly. Though a part of him didn't want to know the answer, a stronger part of him needed to know.

"I don't know." Terra said. "I'm tired of having myself protected, when I am the dangerous one. I have to leave because I want to protect people from myself." She said meaningfully.

"But... Terra, I..." Cloud paused and frustratingly searched for hopeful words. "Don't leave me. Please. Not again."

Terra sighed, as she turned to Cloud with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Cloud. I'm just... I'm worried. For everyone. For you. What if there's another Kefka out there who wanted my powers? Or maybe another Hojo? They'll come after me, and they'll know I'm here." Terra sighed again, deeply. "I just... I just think I'm the trouble here."

"But you're not, Terra." Cloud replied.

"You're only saying that."

Cloud shook his head. "If you leave right now, I'll search for you again. But this time, I'm not giving up until I find you. And in the end, I'll just take you back here, right in this same place." He walked closer to her. "So it will really do me a great favor if you stay here... by me... right where I know you're safe."

Terra smiled helplessly as she turned to the door and back to him. "But in the end, Cloud, you won't be safe with me."

"I'm trained to fight, Terra. All my life." He replied. "And I've gone through all of it for you, and only you." He held out his hand and reached for Terra's smaller one. "So, whatever you're so worried right now, whatever is inside you that's making you leave, I'll fight it with you, if that's what it takes to make you stay. We'll fight it together, and I swear to you, no one will get hurt. Besides, it's a long mile better than thinking you're in danger somewhere, even if you're not."

Those words, hearing them straight from his lips, were enough to convince her to stay, safely under Cloud's care.

* * *

The alley was empty, with only the rustling sound of papers filling the already drowning air. The moon was already rising, replacing the sun with its borrowed dimmed light.

The empty alley was perfectly reserved for them. They picked the perfect place and the perfect time for the perfect enemy with with a different, but unlikely reason; reasoning with them.

Cloud and Squall had their backs close to each other as they face three motorbikers of around their age, all of them sharing a distinctive silver hair color that reflected under the moonlight. They were sneering at the two, both of whom they trapped at the middle of the alley, surrounded by their large, black motorcycles.

"Yo Yazoo," The one with a short, spiky hair called, referring to the one with a long, straight hair. "can I take the scar-faced one? He's kinda getting into my nerves."

"Do what you will, Loz." Replied Yazoo. "Just don't go crying in the end"

"You can have the shorter one, then." Said the third one with shoulder-length hair.

"You're one to talk." Cloud calmly said.

The short one growled.

"I thought they were with you." Squall, who was holding his gunblade in his right hand, told Cloud.

"Would look like it at first. They all look like Sephiroth." Cloud replied, gesturing his heavy Buster sword with one hand at the trio.

"Hey! Don't point that thing on me!" cried Loz.

Squall looked at him. He thought well of Cloud for once, for not having that particular baby in his circle or acquaintances. But he chose to say nothing. Instead, he swung his weapon over his shoulder and rested it there, preparing himself for something obvious.

"Ready?" He asked Cloud.

And he nodded.

Then, like a lightning in the middle of a stormy night, they dashed towards the gang, and a new brawl began.

* * *

**The End.**


End file.
